State Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer, R-Brighton, greets supporters during her 2022 run as the Republican nominee in Colorado’s 8th Congressional District at the GOP’s Hispanic outreach office in Thornton on Aug. 31, 2022, in this file photo. Kirkmeyer, who lost a close race to Democrat Yadira Caraveo, was set to announce a 2026 run for governor on Sept. 9, 2025. (Ernest Luning/Colorado Politics, file)