DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado state Sen. Barbara “Barb” Kirkmeyer is officially launching her gubernatorial bid, hoping to get a seat that Republicans have not secured in almost 20 years.
The 2026 race for Colorado’s governor is starting to take shape. Republican Barb Kirkmeyer is joining the list of serious contenders, like Democrats Attorney General Phil Weiser and U.S. Senator Michael Bennet.
“It’s time that we have a governor who knows how to govern and lead this state and understand that our best days are ahead of us. I think I am that person. All you have to do is go back and look at my accomplishments and my record as a county commissioner, as a state senator. I’ve been able to reduce property taxes. I led my county to zero debt. And as a state senator, I had not one, but two bills in about a four-month period that were the largest property tax cuts in Colorado history,” Kirkmeyer said about why she should be the state’s first Republican governor since Bill Owens finished his term in 2007.
The former Weld County Commissioner is now one of the six members on the Joint Budget Committee (JBC) at the state capitol.
Some voters may remember her from another campaign she ran three years ago. Kirkmeyer narrowly lost her bid for Colorado’s Eighth Congressional District in 2022, coming up a little over 1,600 votes short behind Yadira Caraveo.
A new poll from Magellan Strategies found 68% of respondents had a somewhat or very unfavorable opinion of both the Democratic and Republican parties. While 50% of people responding say they would vote for a Democratic candidate running for governor over a Republican candidate.
“If we’re trying to move things forward in the state of Colorado and do what’s best for Colorado, you have to try to work and cooperate with people that includes the President of the United States. I think the president has been doing fairly well,” Kirkmeyer said.
Democratic frontrunner Michael Bennet’s campaign released a statement about Kirkmeyer’s announcement. “Senator Kirkmeyer is running to be Colorado’s next governor—but her loyalty is to Donald Trump, not Colorado families. She boasts about being one of Trump’s most devoted supporters. She wants to outlaw abortion. She backed Trump’s reckless bill that will strip health care from tens of thousands and shut down Colorado rural hospitals and nursing homes, and she’s all in on Trump’s economic agenda, already a disaster for Colorado families, workers, and small businesses. Colorado deserves a governor who defends our freedoms, puts families first, and fights for working people—not one who carries out Trump’s extreme agenda. Michael Bennet beat his last Republican opponent by 15%, and he is perfectly positioned to defeat Barbara Kirkmeyer and stop her extreme Trumpian agenda,” campaign manager Ben Waldon said in the statement.
“We had a constitutional amendment and the people of this state voted. And they put into the constitution what they believed and that’s the will of the voter, and that’s what I’m going to stick with. As an elected official, whether I’m a state senator or governor of the state of Colorado, we take an oath to uphold the constitution. I will uphold the constitution,” Kirkmeyer said regarding where she stands on abortion.
There are other Republicans who have announced their bids for the seat, but Kirkmeyer is confident she has the best chances of being the last woman standing as the Republican candidate. She will officially launch her campaign in Fort Lupton on Tuesday night.
Anthony Sutton is a business strategist and writer with a passion for management, leadership, and entrepreneurship. With years of experience in the corporate world, he shares insights on business growth, strategy, and innovation through management-opleiding.org.
