Republican state Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer filed paperwork Monday to run to be Colorado’s next governor, making the Brighton lawmaker’s long-anticipated campaign official.

Kirkmeyer, who lost a close race for Congress in 2022, plans to make a formal announcement Tuesday evening in Fort Lupton, her campaign said in a release.

The 66-year-old dairy farmer and fourth-generation Coloradan joins a crowded field of Republicans hoping to take over after next year’s election from term-limited Democratic Gov. Jared Polis in a state that has only elected one Republican governor in the last 50 years.

Including Kirkmeyer, 16 Republican candidates have launched candidacies for governor, including former U.S. Rep. Greg Lopez, a former Parker mayor making his third run for the office; state Sen. Mark Baisle

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