Polling Average
50%40%30%20%10%0%
13%
42%
7%
S. Bottoms
Republican
Barbara Kirkmeyer
Colorado Republican Governor nominee?
$50.9K
JUL 1, 2026Primary Election
Party selects its nominee.
Overview
Current roleState Senator
PartyRepublican
Political ideologyConservative Republican
Age67 years old (Sep 15, 1958)
GenderFemale
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LocationColorado
BackgroundLegislator
EducationUniversity of Colorado Boulder (B.S., physical education)
Notable personal detailsBarbara Jean Kirkmeyer is a Republican member of the Colorado State Senate representing District 23 (Larimer and Weld counties), in office since January 13, 2021. She previously served for many years as a Weld County commissioner and also served as acting director of the Colorado Department of Local Affairs under Gov. Bill Owens. Kirkmeyer was the Republican nominee for Colorado's 8th Congressional District in 2022 and is a candidate in the 2026 Colorado gubernatorial election.
SourcesShowHide
en.wikipedia.orgleg.colorado.govweld.govcoloradopolitics.comgazette.comaxios.comcpr.orgtransparencyusa.orgcoloradonewsline.comfostergraham.comgreeleyrepublicanwomen.orgcoloradosenaterepublicans.comcoloradosun.comcoloradotimesrecorder.comdccc.orgcoloradopols.comkirkmeyerforcolorado.comwashingtonpost.comcbsnews.comlegislation.ballotpedia.orgcdn.ballotpedia.orgx.comapnews.comwikidata.orgjustfacts.votesmart.orgballotready.orgfec.govgovinfo.govdisclosures-clerk.house.govcongress.govnga.orgnass.org
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.
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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.
Polls
Colorado Republican Governor nominee?
Aggregation source: FiftyPlusOne
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