Editor’s note: An incorrect photo of Jack Graham was published with the original version of this story.

DENVER – The former athletic director for Colorado State University will officially be on the ballot for June Republican primary for U.S. Senate.

Jack Graham turned in enough valid signatures to qualify as a candidate for the post, the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office certified on Wednesday.

Graham, a Fort Collins businessman, was the last of almost a dozen Republicans to enter the race for a chance to challenge Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Denver, in November. But Graham was also the first one to turn in signatures to get on the ballot. Graham will face El Paso County Commissioner Darryl Glenn in the primary, but others could be on the ballot as well.

Glenn won nearly 70 percent of the delegate vote at the state assembly on April 9 and was the only candidate to get his name on the ballot through the caucus process.

Graham submitted 22,786 signatures, and of those 12,891 were valid. He needed 10,500 to be valid, or 1,500 from each of Colorado’s seven congressional districts.

The other three candidates who submitted signatures are waiting to have their signatures verified. The field could continue to narrow because candidates cannot duplicate signatures, meaning a signature counted valid for Graham cannot be used by another candidate.

Former state Rep. Jon Keyser turned his signatures in on March 31 and will be the next in line. Ryan Frazier, a former Aurora City Councilman, and Colorado Springs businessman Robert Blaha both submitted their petitions on April 4.

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Contact Megan Schrader: 286-0644

Twitter @CapitolSchrader

Jack Graham speaks at a press conference after his hiring as the athletic director at Colorado State University in 2011. Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post

Helen H. Richardson