State Sen. Kirkmeyer Wins Republican Nod For New 8th Congressional District Seat

By Chase Woodruff, Colorado Newsline

June 28, 2022

With the help of heavy spending from a billionaire-funded super PAC, state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer of Weld County emerged victorious from a four-way primary battle for the Republican nomination in Colorado’s brand-new — and highly competitive — 8th Congressional District.

Unofficial results posted Tuesday night showed Kirkmeyer winning with over 40% of the vote, well ahead of Thornton mayor Jan Kulmann, Weld County Commissioner Lori Saine and Army veteran Tyler Allcorn. The Associated Press called the race for Kirkmeyer shortly after 8 p.m.

Kirkmeyer — a political veteran who served as a Weld County commissioner and ran unsuccessfully for Congress once before, in 2014 — will face state Rep. Yadira Caraveo, a Democrat from Thornton and a pediatrician, in November’s general election.

The new 8th District, drawn by Colorado’s independent redistricting commission last year, encompasses parts of north metro Denver, Greeley and much of southwestern Weld County. It is projected to be Colorado’s most competitive congressional district in 2022, and is also the state’s most diverse, with nearly 40% of residents identifying as Hispanic or Latino.

Kulmann, Saine and Allcorn all conceded to Kirkmeyer on Tuesday night.

“I respect the voters’ verdict, and I will eagerly campaign alongside Barb Kirkmeyer,” Kulmann said in a statement. “The stakes are too high for division or intramural drama in the Republican Party.”

“Tonight didn’t go as we had hoped. But the threat from the Communist-Marxist Democrats is real,” Saine wrote in a tweet. “Republicans need to unite this fall to defeat Hickenlooper, Bennet and Caraveo and take our state and country back before it’s too late.”

Saine’s defeat comes after two Democratic super PACs spent nearly $300,000 to raise her profile and oppose Kirkmeyer, in an apparent effort to secure a more favorable general-election matchup.

Kirkmeyer, meanwhile, was the beneficiary of more than $870,000 in independent expenditures from a trio of Republican groups led by Americans for Prosperity Action, the super PAC funded in large part by right-wing billionaire Charles Koch.

Caraveo was unopposed in the Democratic primary. In a statement Tuesday night, she touted her work accomplishing “big things” in the state Legislature, like lowering drug costs and passing free full-day kindergarten.

“Our fundamental American rights are under attack, while costs are out of control,” Caraveo said. “Colorado families need a powerful partner fighting for them in Congress — not divisiveness and extremism.”

Democracy functions only when people have access to reliable information about government and society. Colorado Newsline’s mission is to be a trusted source of such information. Newsline is nonprofit, nonpartisan and independent, and it provides fair and accurate reporting on politics, policy and other stories of interest to Colorado readers