DENVER — Former Congressman Greg Lopez became the latest big-name Republican to announce his run for Colorado governor on Monday.
Lopez announced his run in a video he released.
“I'm Greg Lopez. I'm running for governor, and I ask for your support,” Lopez said in the video.
Lopez said he was running to put people over politics.
“It's about government working for us, not against us,” Lopez said.
It’s Lopez’s third time running for governor, following unsuccessful bids for the Republican party’s nomination in 2014 and 2018.
A hardline conservative, he served in Congress for six months after Republicans selected him last year to serve out the remaining term of former Congressman Ken Buck in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District.
Lopez was not available for an interview on Monday, according to his campaign.
He joins nine other Republicans who have filed to run for governor. The candidates who have filed paper to run are:
- 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
- Alexander Mugatu
Six of the candidates are considered long-shot candidates with very little name recognition, endorsements or money.
Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell, who announced his campaign last month, is among the higher-profile Republican candidates running for governor.
“It seems like every day in Colorado, we have a crisis of something,” said Mikesell.
Mikesell says he'll focus on making Colorado more affordable and safer.
“I have just gotten tired of a Colorado that has become, frankly, unaffordable for people," said Mikesell. "It's become unsafe, and really, it's unrecognizable from what I remember throughout most of my life, even within the last 10 years."
Two Republican state lawmakers are also running.
State Sen. Mark Baisley, R-Woodland Park, said his campaign is focused on economic opportunities, education and safety.
He believes Coloradans are ready for a change in leadership.
"I think folks, the people, the voters are now seeing what happens when you have single-party rule for 10 years and the results that we've had,” said Baisley. “I think they're probably going to be ready in 2026 to make that change."
State Rep. Scott Bottoms, R- Colorado Springs, who launched his campaign for governor in January, has been one of the staunchest opponents of LGBTQ rights in the legislature.
"We're tired of where we are as a state," said Bottoms. "We're tired of all the fallout from so many different things, from attacks on parents, attacks on children. A lot of the transgender ideology is being pushed and forced."
Bottoms, who has been criticized by LGBTQ advocacy groups for some of his remarks, says social issues are a big reason he's running for governor and believes Coloradans share his concerns.
"I've been mostly focused on social issues," Bottoms said. "I think the social agenda is probably a little more important than sometimes people that have been in politics for a long time [think]."
In a recent interview with Denver7, the new chairwoman of the Colorado Republican Party, Brita Horn, said she believes the party will become more competitive by focusing on fiscal issues instead of social issues.
"Absolutely fiscal issues, because that's something we can all agree on," Horn said. "Social issues are gonna be all over the board."
No matter who wins the Republican Party’s nomination, it’ll be an uphill battle.
Republicans haven’t won a statewide race since 2016.
It’s a trend the party hopes to buck in 2026.
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