Shaun Boyd is Your Political Reporter at CBS News Colorado. Share you story ideas with her by sending an email to sboyd@cbs.com or yourreporter@cbs.com.
Colorado's race for governor just got a little more crowded. Republican State Senator Barb Kirkmeyer launched her campaign from Fort Lupton Tuesday evening.
She is the biggest Republican name to enter the race.
"I've talked to Coloradans across the state who are tired of feeling like they live in a state of inevitable decline," said Kirkmeyer. "Decline is a choice; it is not a foregone conclusion. Bad decision-making by lawmakers got us into this mess; the flip side is that good decision-making can turn things around, and it's time."
Kirkmeyer says it's time for a course correction in Colorado and she says she has the courage, experience, and vision to make it happen.
"I will fight for affordability... I will make our community safe... I will fix those darn roads. Most of all, I will make sure our children and our grandchildren grow up in a Colorado full of opportunity."
A mom, grandmother, and Colorado native, Kirkmeyer grew up on a dairy farm and says she knows what it's like to work for every dollar.
"This is how I learned about hard work, perseverance, and saving for the future... It came in real handy being on the Joint Budget Committee."
As one of two Republicans on the powerful committee, Kirkmeyer has been a prominent voice for fiscal constraint and led the fight for lower property taxes.
WATCH: Will Barbara Kirkmeyer's leadership in the Colorado legislature help her gubernatorial candidacy?
But she is most proud of her fight to increase funding for special ed and increase reimbursements for Medicaid providers, "Our health care system is in crisis mode and we need to do something about it. So when the governor cut Medicaid provider rates, I'm telling you that I felt like crying, and I'm not a crier. I'm a hard-working, get down to it, roll your sleeves up, get the job done person."
A former Weld County Commissioner, she says, she is also a person who works across the aisle, "I know that may not be the most popular stance in a primary, but I think it's the most popular stance when you're running for governor because when you're the governor, you're the governor for everybody in the state."
Colorado hasn't elected a Republican governor in more than 20 years. But a recent poll found most voters think the state is headed in the wrong direction.
"It appears the state is getting weary with the same old Democratic tax and spend, let's tax you to death and have all these budget gimmicks. And I think that Barb will expose that," says CBS Colorado Republican Analyst Dick Wadhams, who says Kirkmeyer is a strong contender.
CBS Colorado Democratic Analyst Mike Dino agrees but says President Trump will be a drag on her candidacy, "She's a very formidable candidate and I think she raises the level of credibility on the Republican side significantly... it will not overcome who's in White House."
Kirkmeyer says she won't agree with President Trump on everything, but she says she will work with any president to improve the lives of Coloradans.
"Look... I'm just going to do me. I have fought for everything my entire life."
Kirkmeyer enters a crowded field with 35 candidates. She is joined by two other Republican state lawmakers - Senator Mark Baisley and Representative Scott Bottoms - along with former U.S. Representative Greg Lopez, and Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell.
On the Democratic side, the top two candidates are U.S. Senator Michael Bennet and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser.