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Republican

Barbara Kirkmeyer

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Republican

Barbara Kirkmeyer

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Colorado Republican Governor nominee?

$1.2M

JUL 7, 2026

Primary Election

Party selects its nominee.

Overview

Current roleState Senator

PartyRepublican

Political ideologyConservative Republican

Age67 years old (Sep 15, 1958)

GenderFemale

LocationColorado

BackgroundPolitician

EducationUniversity of Colorado Boulder — B.S., Physical Education (1980)

Notable personal detailsBarbara Jean Kirkmeyer is an American politician serving in the Colorado Senate representing District 23 (parts of Weld and Larimer counties), first taking office in January 2021. She previously served as a Weld County commissioner across two stints (1993–2000 and 2009–2020) and also served as acting director of the Colorado Department of Local Affairs under Gov. Bill Owens. She earned a B.S. in physical education from the University of Colorado Boulder in 1980 and has also worked as a dairy farmer and small businesswoman.

SourcesShow

en.wikipedia.org kirkmeyerforcolorado.com cpr.org wikidata.org weld.gov axios.com coloradosos.gov coloradopols.com coloradopolitics.com completecolorado.com hermes.cde.state.co.us sos.state.co.us spl.cde.state.co.us coloradosenaterepublicans.com coloradonewsline.com coloradosun.com coloradotimesrecorder.com dccc.org denvergazette.com denverpost.com rmpbs.org kunc.org chalkbeat.org summitdaily.com washingtonexaminer.com gazette.com ballotpedia.org facebook.com fec.gov govinfo.gov ballotready.org disclosures-clerk.house.gov congress.gov progressives.house.gov ncsl.org pettersen.house.gov justfacts.votesmart.org votesmart.org whitehouse.gov nga.org history.house.gov docquery.fec.gov clerk.house.gov

Positions

LiberalConservative

Economy & Taxes

Supports cutting property taxes and protecting the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR), opposes raising taxes, and favors balancing budgets through spending or program changes rather than new or higher taxes. Has sponsored and championed state-level property tax reduction legislation and argued against tax increases in special sessions.

Healthcare

Supports converting Medicaid to a block grant and reducing federal entitlement spending; has advocated looking at entitlement programs (including Medicaid) for cuts or transformation and emphasized market-oriented/fiscal restraint approaches to healthcare funding. Has opposed certain state proposals that would expand or reclassify health-provider fees aimed at increasing funding through enterprise mechanisms.

Immigration & Border

Supports strengthening border security and enforcement (including building the wall) while backing reforms to legal immigration pathways for agriculture workers and a pathway/process review for DACA recipients; frames the issue around stopping drugs like fentanyl and securing legal entry. Emphasizes securing the southern border as the first step before broader immigration reform.

Abortion & Reproductive Rights

Supports significant restrictions on abortion while allowing at least an exception when a pregnancy threatens the life of the mother. Previously expressed opposition to exceptions and supported personhood-related measures but has described her position as allowing a life-of-the-mother exception.

Climate & Energy

Supports Colorado oil and gas development and American energy independence, favors a “best-of-the-above” energy approach that uses cost-effective and ready-to-go sources, and opposes policies she characterizes as efforts to “destroy” the oil-and-gas economic engine; she has questioned the extent of human contribution to recent warming.

Public Safety & Guns

Barbara (Barb) Kirkmeyer has promoted Second Amendment protections and led her county to adopt a Second Amendment sanctuary resolution that opposed Colorado’s red-flag legislation. Her campaign messaging emphasizes defending gun rights and opposing “gun-grabbing” measures; she has portrayed expanded gun restrictions (background checks, red-flag enforcement) as unconstitutional or unwarranted.

News

AINews Summary

Last updatedJul 4, 2026

Barbara Kirkmeyer is in the middle of Colorado’s Republican governor primary, where early results show her narrowly trailing Victor Marx. The race is still close enough that remaining ballots and curing could matter, though the reported margin may be too small to force a mandatory recount. Kirkmeyer has campaigned on affordability, rural communities, infrastructure, water policy, energy, and public safety, and she has been active in debates and fundraising during the primary.

en.wikipedia.org+42

Articles

TAThe Aspen Times2 days ago