Greg Lopez, the former mayor of Parker, this week announced he’ll be running for governor of Colorado, joining a crowded Republican field that’s only expected to grow between now and the 2018 primary.
A U.S. Air Force veteran, Lopez served as the Colorado state director of the Small Business Administration from 2008 to 2014, and was a longtime member of the Denver Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
“What I bring to the table is a record of accomplishment and being effective in each position I have held,” Lopez said in a statement announcing his candidacy. “I’ve taken action and executed plans that have brought benefit to our state, and the families who live here.”
His political career started early. At age 27, he was elected mayor of Parker and went on to serve two terms in the 1990s. The former Democrat changed his party affiliation to Republican in 1994 and later ran unsuccessfully for state Senate.
In April 2014, Lopez resigned from the Small Business Administration, later that he left because of clashes with his bosses over the Veterans Administration hospital project in Aurora that was . He said he was trying to help 21 small-business owners who were due $41 million on the project get paid.
If elected, he would be the first Hispanic governor in state history. But he faces a long, difficult road to victory in a race that’s .
The Republican field already includes , prosecutor of the Aurora theater shooter; , a former state legislator and businessman; and former investment banker , who is Mitt Romney’s nephew.
State Treasurer Walker Stapleton also is widely expected to mount a campaign, and is considering it.
Lopez previously flirted with a but dropped out before the Republican primary.