Former CSU athletic director Jack Graham is planning to petition his way onto what could be a crowded Republican primary ballot for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Michael Bennet, and he seeded his run with a $1 million deposit to his campaign account yesterday.

Dick Wadhams, a former Colorado Republican Party chairman and the manager of the campaigns of some of Colorado’s top statewide GOP officials over the years, will be managing Graham’s campaign.

“He’s the only candidate who has never run for public office,” Wadhams told The Statesman. “You’ll see when he rolls out his campaign the kind of compelling agenda that will win the campaign and defeat Michael Bennet.”

The campaign plans a formal announcement next month but has had its petitions approved by the secretary of state’s office and plans to start gathering signatures on Feb. 1. Graham will need 10,500 valid signatures, with 1,500 from each of the state’s seven congressional districts. Petitions are due April 4.

“This race is wide open,” Wadhams said. “You’ve got a lot of candidates with various strengths and weaknesses. I expect it will be at least a three or four if not five way primary. Over the course of the campaign, Jack is going to prove he’s the best candidate to win the primary and defeat Michael Bennet.”

Just this week, Republican candidates Ryan Frazier and Robert Blaha have pulled petitions for the June 28 primary. Including Graham, 13 GOP candidates have declared they’re running for the chance to take on Bennet.

Graham, a former star CSU quarterback, made his fortune in the insurance business and sold his company, International Catastrophe Insurance Managers, in 2010. He was hired as CSU’s athletic director in late 2011 and fired in August 2014 for “substantial differences” with CSU president Tony Frank, Frank said at the time. Graham spearheaded the construction of the university’s new stadium, set to open next year.

Wadhams managed the campaigns of former U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard and Colorado Gov. Bill Owens, as well as the campaign of South Dakota Sen. John Thune. Most recently in Colorado, he helmed Bob Schaffer’s unsuccessful run against Democrat Mark Udall for the 2008 Senate contest.

“I was moved by his desire to change the course of this nation,” Wadhams said, explaining why he’s taking on the job with Graham. “The Senate seat is too important in 2016, and I decided to jump on board.”

— ernest@coloradostatesman.com