The Libertarian candidate running for a congressional seat from Colorado’s Front Range is dropping out and endorsing the Republican challenger, potentially boosting Republicans’ chances of capturing one of the most hotly contested seats in America.

Eric Joss, the Libertarian candidate in the 8th Congressional District, announced the truce with Republican Rep. Gabe Evans during a press conference Tuesday night. Evans, a new congressman from Fort Lupton, signed a “liberty pledge” to secure Joss’s support.

The declaration includes, among other things, a promise to oppose “military adventurism” and to work for a peaceful end to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and for “fundamental reform” of the US Department of Education.

Evans said he signed the pledge after some changes were made, including removing language calling for the abolition of U.S. intelligence agencies.

“Eric and I are united in our determination to rein in the size, scope, cost and corruption of government,” Evans said in a statement. “To defeat big government, you must first” defeat U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo, the Democrat who currently holds the seat.

Last summer, the state’s Libertarian Party agreed not to field candidates against Republicans in contested elections if the state Republican Party supports “liberty-loving candidates.” That agreement came after the previous race for the 8th Congressional District was narrowly won: Caraveo won the seat in 2022, defeating Republican Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer by 1,632 votes in the first election to represent the newly created district.

In this race, Libertarian candidate Richard Ward received more than 9,200 votes.

On Tuesday night, Joss criticized Caraveo as a “rubber stamp” for President Joe Biden’s agenda. During her nearly two years in Congress, Caraveo has pursued a moderate course and is one of the most moderate members of the House of Representatives, according to the accountability and transparency website GovTrack.