Two faces familiar to Weld County politics will run for the U.S. House of Representatives in November.
Colorado Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer and U.S. Rep. Ken Buck have secured the Republican nomination for the 8th and 4th congressional districts, respectively.
Kirkmeyer leads her three opponents with nearly 41% of the vote as of about 9:20 p.m. Tuesday. Behind her is Thornton Mayor Jan Kulmann, with nearly 23% of the vote. Weld County Commissioner Lori Saine has nearly 20% of the vote, with Tyler Allcorn claiming about 16%.
“I feel really good about the race that I ran,” Kirkmeyer said. “I stayed positive all the way through, and I think that made a difference.”
Created during the redistricting process this past year, the 8th CD stretches south from the Greeley area into the Denver metro area. Kirkmeyer, a former Weld County Commissioner, will face Colorado Rep. Yadira Caraveo in November.
“There was a lot of meddling in this primary from Democrats, like Nancy Pelosi and her pack,” Kirkmeyer said. “I think that’s why I feel really good about it. We were able to beat back Nancy Pelosi and her allies and all the outside spending where they’re meddling in our primary.”
Buck will run for reelection for his seat in the U.S. House, winning 75% of the vote over challenger Robert Lewis’ 25% on Tuesday night. Buck has held the seat since 2014. Prior to that, he served as the Weld County District Attorney for 10 years.
“I’m going to work hard and try to earn the support of the general election voters and go back to Congress for another term,” Buck said. “I believe we will be in charge, in the majority, and I’m looking forward to working on good, common-sense solutions to the issues that face Americans.”
Lewis is a real estate broker and former vice chairman for the Elbert County Republicans.
The 4th CD stretches across far east Colorado, including north and east portions of Weld County and stretching down to Baca County.
Buck will face Democrat Ike McCorkle, whom Buck defeated by a wide margin in the same race in 2020, in November. Buck expressed confidence heading into November.
“I’m looking forward to serving with Barb Kirkmeyer in Congress,” Buck said Tuesday night.
In the 7th CD, U.S. Army veteran Erik Aadland secured the nomination with nearly 48% of the vote as of about 9:20 p.m. Tim Reichert claimed about 36% of the vote, and Laurel Imer just 16%.
The 7th CD stretches from Broomfield to Chaffee and Custer counties and includes an exclave of Weld County.
Aadland will face Colorado Sen. Brittany Pettersen in November.
