Barb Kirkmeyer Enters Governor's Race

Republican state Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer has officially entered the race for Colorado governor. The Brighton lawmaker, a fourth-generation Coloradan and dairy farmer, filed paperwork Monday and will formally kick off her campaign Tuesday evening in Fort Lupton.

Kirkmeyer lost a close congressional race in 2022 but has decades of political experience, including nearly 20 years as a Weld County commissioner and service on the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee. If elected, she would be the first woman to serve as Colorado governor.

She joins a crowded GOP field of 16 candidates vying to succeed term-limited Democrat Jared Polis, who won reelection in 2022 by nearly 20 points. The Democratic primary is expected to feature U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and Attorney General Phil Weiser.