State Rep. Manny Rutinel Defends Deleted Vegan Posts in Colorado 8th District Race

“Those views that I put in those posts when I was 22 are not my views today,” Manny Rutinel said. “Those are the views of a 22-year-old kid.”

The Colorado Sun reported Thursday that deleted Reddit posts from nearly a decade ago show State Rep. Rutinel was once an ardent supporter of giving animals the same legal rights as people. The posts, analyzed by the Sun, reveal a younger Rutinel who envisioned a future where animal liberation legislation prohibited slaughter for food and other uses.

He was right there in the thick of it. His 2017 post predicted a gradual rise in veganism and fewer farm animals to meet decreased demand. He saw those remaining animals spending their lives in sanctuaries or as pets.

“I gave up animal flesh 8 years ago at the age of 14,” he wrote in another post. He called the reality of meat production “horrific” and noted it came from “tortured and slaughtered innocent animals.”

He even had advice for dog owners. He encouraged them to feed their pets a vegan diet, noting dogs are omnivores who can live long, happy lives on plant foods. He claimed this shift could save money in the long run.

Rutinel, a Democrat running for Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, says he has evolved. He is now 31. The former vegan said a documentary watched at age 14 sparked his initial passion, but time and experience changed his mind.

“Getting older means getting more information,” he told the Sun. “I’ve been able to learn a lot.”

This shift matters politically. The 8th District spans Denver’s northeast suburbs into Greeley. It is arguably Colorado’s agricultural capital. Ranches, feedlots, and dairy farms generated about $1.2 billion in animal products in 2022. A JBS meatpacking facility in Greeley stands as one of the nation’s largest beef slaughterhouses.

Locals in this district know what that number means for their wallets and their landscape. They do not need a politician who has never left the pasture to tell them how to treat livestock.

Rutinel’s current stance offers a compromise. He acknowledges the industry that defines his district while still respecting the roots of his activism. The posts show just how deep those roots go, but they also show how far he has traveled from them.

The term “animal liberation” stems from a 1975 book by the philosopher Peter Singer. Rutinel’s early posts aligned with that philosophy, arguing against seeing animals merely as resources. He asked why future generations would not view our treatment of animals with horror.

Now, he asks for understanding instead.

The 8th District is a toss-up seat. Voters here weigh the cost of beef against the promise of ethical treatment. They see the JBS facility every day. They drive past the feedlots on Highway 34.

Rutinel’s deleted posts are not a contradiction. They are a record of growth. He does not hide them. He points to them as evidence that he listens, learns, and adapts. That is what elected officials are supposed to do.

The question for voters in Greeley and the northeast suburbs is whether they care about the posts of a 22-year-old or the actions of a 31-year-old. Rutinel believes they should look at both. He has grown. The district has not stopped producing.