DENVER — State Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer is expected to announce Tuesday she’s running for Colorado’s gubernatorial seat in 2026, according to a media advisory and state campaign filings made public Monday.
Earlier in the day, Kirkmeyer’s campaign issued a media advisory to news organizations, including Denver7, in which her campaign announced she was to “make a special announcement” at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in Fort Lupton.
By Monday afternoon, state campaign filing records showed Kirkmeyer had filed for candidacy to “raise and support funds … to become the governor of Colorado.”
As discovered by our partners at The Denver Post, source code of her password-protected campaign website, kirkmeyerforcolorado.com, also revealed an image that reads “Kirkmeyer for Governor” with the same design as the one used for the media advisory.
Kirkmeyer, a fourth-generation Coloradan who has lived in southern Weld County for over 35 years, has been involved in politics since 1993, serving as Weld County commissioner twice for a total of 20 years before being elected to the State Senate in 2020 to represent District 23, which encompasses Weld and Larimer counties, according to her bio.
A member of the state legislature’s powerful Joint Budget Committee and one of the GOP’s most prominent and outspoken critics of Gov. Jared Polis and Democratic leaders in Colorado — especially when it comes to spending and state budget issues — Kirkmeyer will become the latest big-name Republican running for the seat next year.
She enters a crowded field of Republican contenders, including former Congressman Greg Lopez, State Sen. Mark Baisley, State Rep. Scott Bottoms, Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell, Jason Clark, Brycen Garrison, Stevan Gess, Jon Gray-Ginsberg, Joshua Griffin, and Alexander Mugatu.
Among the prominent Democrats running for the seat are Attorney General Phil Weiser and U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet.
Coloradans will decide who the state’s next governor will be on Nov. 3, 2026.
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.
