Colorado has established a reputation for sending novelties to the U.S. Congress: Joe Neguse and Jason Crow appear on the list. And don’t forget history, when Pat Schroeder represented one of the state’s districts.
And now the state is offering to voters the opportunity to endorse extremists, like Melat Kiros, an avowed socialist who literally booted longtime Denver Democrat Diana DeGette from her seat of power in a primary.
And also Manny Rutinel.
According to a report in the Free Beacon, “As recently as 2024, however, Rutinel served as a fellow at the University of Denver’s Animal Law Program, which is tied to projects that defend accused ecoterrorists and push fringe theories including the belief that all animals—including insects—are sentient.”
That scheme, called the Animal Law Project, wants “to educate the next generation of animal law advocates” to “protect the well-being of non-human animals.”
The report said that would involve “programming that routinely connects animal rights to other issues, such as racial justice, environmentalism, and mass incarceration.”
It explained, “Fellows like Rutinel, a lawyer and state representative, help advance the mission ‘by providing research support, increasing the Animal Law Program’s public visibility, and expanding our impact throughout Colorado and across the nation.’”
In fact, the program is run by a lawyer out of Harvard who claimed there is “no principled reason” for elephants not to be honored with “legal personhood.”
Rutinel now is running to represent Colorado’s 8th District, “a region heavily reliant on ranching.”
His bio now boasts of his Yale education, his work for Earthjustice, and his lesser degrees from Johns Hopkins and the University of Florida.
Democrat Manny Rutinel is running in a competitive Colorado congressional district that’s known for its reliance on ranching.
But as recently as 2024, he served as a fellow at the University of Denver’s Animal Law Program, which is tied to projects that defend accused… pic.twitter.com/2LlrKI745c
— Washington Free Beacon (@FreeBeacon) August 19, 2026
🚨 UNEARTHED
Colorado Democrat Manny Rutinel — who is running in one of America’s top agriculture-producing counties — says “the globe must dramatically shift away from animal products” and rely on nuts and berries. pic.twitter.com/wIaMgIMihU
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 9, 2026
CO Democrat Socialist @MannyRutinel wants legal rights for animals – including insects – while running to represent a district powered by ranching.
Animals get “personhood.” Ranchers get put out of business.
That’s crazy!https://t.co/zLdtl7gFL8
— NRCC (@NRCC) August 19, 2026
The report explains the Animal Law Project is run by Justin Marceau, who wrote “Beyond Cages,” where he argues against jail for animal abusers “because the criminal justice system is ‘inextricaby linkned to oppression’ and tied to racism and classism.”
He has argued in court briefs that animals need to be recognized as “persons, and bluntly told a New York appellate court the Bronx Zoo “unjustly detained” Happy the elephant.
He said Happy qualifies for habeas corpus, explaining: “There is no principled reason that elephants, such as Happy, should be deprived of legal personhood.”
Marceau also leads, the report said, the University of Denver’s “Animal Activist Legal Defense Project.”
Among those it seeks to protect is Cara Mitrano, who was accused of breaking into a fur farm in 2024 and, with a partner, killing 23 minks while releasing nearly 700, and causing $164,000 in damages.
The incident result in charges of ecoterrorism and animal cruelty.
The Denver program, where Rutinel served as a fellow, argues that “all nonhuman animals are sentient,” meaning forms like coral, earthworms and maggots are included.
The report noted, “Rutinel’s affiliation with the Animal Law Program comes amid attempts to downplay his years of animal rights activism and anti-meat crusading as he challenges Rep. Gabe Evans (R.) for Colorado’s Eighth Congressional District, whose economy is heavily dependent on ranching, an industry that generated some $1.2 billion in 2022. It also undercuts his claim that Reddit posts he wrote in 2017 embracing efforts to give animals the same legal rights as humans and prohibit their slaughter ‘are not my views today.’”
Rutinel was delisted as a “fellow” after the Free Beacon inquired about his status.
The Free Beacon confirmed, “Rutinel’s animal activism dates back to his youth. He became a vegan when he was 14 and said he recently started eating meat because ‘it’s important for me to be able to enjoy the delicious products that Colorado ranchers make.’”
