AURORA | Former state Rep. Jon Keyser’s campaign submitted more than 1,500 signatures Thursday, March 31, in the race for the Republican nomination in the 2016 U.S. Senate race.
Keyser is just the second Republican candidate seeking to face incumbent Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet in the November general election, after former Colorado State University athletic director Jack Graham’s campaign submitted petition signatures earlier this week.
More than a dozen Republicans have declared their candidacy for the Senate race. Candidates for U.S. Senate aiming to earn a spot on the June 28 primary ballot by petition are required to collect signatures from 1,500 registered Republicans in each of the state’s seven congressional districts. The Secretary of State’s submission deadline for petitions is April 4.
Keyser, an Air Force Academy graduate and veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, announced his run Jan. 11. He resigned his seat in the Colorado House of Representatives on Jan. 25 to focus on the campaign.
Candidates Robert Blaha, Donald Rosier and Ryan Frazier have also had their petition formats approved and have been collecting signatures since the petition period began Feb. 1, according to a blog post on the Secretary of State’s website.
Other than collecting signatures, the only other way a candidate can earn a spot on the primary ballot is by receiving at least 30 percent of the delegate votes cast at a party assembly. The Colorado Republican Committee convention is slated to take place April 9 in Colorado Springs.