Colorado Republican U.S. Senate candidate Eli Bremer won an endorsement on Tuesday from U.S. Rep. Jim Banks, the powerful Indiana lawmaker who heads the Republican Study Committee, the House GOP's largest caucus.
“Coloradans have an outstanding opportunity in Eli Bremer,” Banks said a statement. “I’ve known Eli and Cami for over 15 years. He is a true conservative fighter who has a real chance to win across the state of Colorado and help Republicans take control of the U.S. Senate. I can assure you Eli will be an impactful and honorable senator.”
Bremer, an Air Force Academy graduate and 2008 Olympian, is one of seven Republicans hoping to challenge U.S. Rep. Michael Bennet, the Colorado Democrat seeking a third term this fall.
Calling Banks "one of our nation’s leading young conservative leaders," Bremer told Colorado Politics he was honored to receive the endorsement as his campaign looks toward Saturday's state GOP assembly, where delegates will designate candidates to the June 28 primary ballot.
"Jim heads the most significant conservative caucus in Congress, and he also works nationally to support great candidates who can help Republicans win," Bremer said in a text message.
Banks and his wife, Amanda, lived in Colorado Springs for several years before and after they married in 2005, when she worked as a federal policy analyst for Focus on the Family. After returning to Indiana to raise a family, Banks, who serves in the Navy Reserves, was elected to the Indiana state Senate in 2010 and won the first of three congressional terms in 2016.
Banks was appointed last summer by House GOP leadership as ranking member to the select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected him, citing his vote against certifying electoral votes for Joe Biden after Congress reconvened.
Construction company owner Joe O'Dea learned on Monday that he's qualified for the Republicans' U.S. Senate primary election by petition. The other candidates, including Bremer, will be competing at the state assembly for a berth in the primary, which requires winning support from at least 30% of delegates. Republicans running include state Rep. Ron Hanks, real estate developer Gino Campana, former talk radio host Deborah Flora, former congressional nominee Peter Yu and political science professor Gregory Moore.