September 10, 2025 09:18 AM UTC

WATCH: Barb Kirkmeyer Loses The Colorado Governor's Race In 20 Seconds

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• by: ProgressNow Colorado

As you may have read in today’s news, far-right Republican Barb Kirkmeyer just launched a campaign to be governor of Colorado in 2026. Kirkmeyer’s campaign is widely considered to be a longshot in a state that hasn’t elected a Republican governor in over two decades.

Just like countless Colorado Republicans who have come before Barb Kirkmeyer, she is desperate to whitewash her long record of opposition to abortion rights. Echoing Cory Gardner ten years ago, Kirkmeyer now claims her views on abortion rights have changed. But here’s what Kirkmeyer said about abortion rights when she was running for Congress in a safe Republican district:

“I voted and I signed the petitions in support of personhood, so, no, I don’t and I don’t agree to any exceptions to abortion. And in fact, as a county commissioner, I voted to ban the Plan B abortion pill from our health clinics.”

Click here to watch the 20 seconds of video that ends Barb Kirkmeyer’s hopes of ever becoming governor of Colorado.

In a state that has voted repeatedly voted to protect reproductive rights, Kirkmeyer’s throwback views on abortion are totally disqualifying. But that’s just the beginning. Kirkmeyer supported the disastrous Trump budget bill in Washington that blew a billion-dollar hole in Colorado’s budget, then tried to blame the victims of federal budget cuts instead of her own colleagues who voted for them. Kirkmeyer even led a crackpot movement calling for Weld County to secede from the rest of Colorado before she decided she wants to be governor of our state instead.

It’s not just that Colorado can do better than Barb Kirkmeyer. Even many Republicans agree that Barb Kirkmeyer’s values are questionable and she can’t be trusted. The only thing Kirkmeyer will have in her corner are the Republican donors who have funded losing campaigns for governor for the last two decades.

Despite Kirkmeyer’s many disqualifying flaws, it’s our job at ProgressNow Colorado to make sure every voter in Colorado understands what’s at stake in the 2026 governor’s race, and what would happen if the out-of-touch losers on the right in our state were to somehow stage a comeback. Your support for our accountability work has played a major role in holding back the far right in Colorado for years, and with the 2026 field taking shape we’ve got a full plate. Jump in the fight today with a donation as we get ready to hold “Both Ways Barb” Kirkmeyer and her far-right friends from Denver to D.C. accountable in the all-important 2026 midterms.

Thanks again. With your help, Colorado will hold the line for freedom, equality, and democracy itself.