Following months of speculation, Colorado Springs Republican Eli Bremer launched a bid Tuesday for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Michael Bennet.

Bremer, 43, an Air Force Academy graduate and 2008 Olympian in the modern pentathlon, is a former chairman of the El Paso County Republican Party and beat the Colorado GOP in court last year in a dispute over the party’s election procedures.

“Having twice worn the uniform of our nation – in the military and in the Olympics – I am concerned that the country I have represented is being sold out by self-interested politicians,” Bremer said in a statement.

“I’ve traveled the world, and I’ve seen how special we are in America. Having been raised in Colorado, I have also seen how special our state is. We deserve a senator who wants to be a voice for Colorado rather than climbing the political ladder. I’ve been proud to serve my country in the military and Olympics, and I will be proud to do it again in the U.S. Senate.”

Bremer is the highest-profile Republican to join the primary to run against Bennet, who was appointed to the seat in 2009 and is seeking a third full term.

Peter Yu, who lost a 2018 run for a U.S. House seat, and political neophytes Juli Henry and Erik Aadland are mounting campaigns, though none have reported raising more than a few thousand dollars through the end of the most recent campaign finance reporting period.

According to Bennet’s most recent FEC filing, his campaign has raised $5.5 million through the end of June and had $2.3 million on hand at the end of the quarter.

Bremer, who was appointed last year to a congressional committee charged with recommending reforms to the U.S. Olympic system in the wake of a massive sexual abuse scandal involving a former doctor for USA Gymnastics, said he began considering a bid when Bennet didn’t embrace bipartisan Olympics reform legislation Bremer helped spearhead.

“This is par for the course with Michael Bennet,” Bremer said. “He’s more interested in attending D.C. cocktail parties than taking on real issues.”

Colorado Politics was first to report Bremer was considering a challenge against Bennet in February when he said an associate had reserved web domains for a potential Senate run, and again in June when Bremer indicated he was leaning toward a candidacy.

Bremer told Colorado Politics he believes Republicans can reverse recent trends that have handed the party thumping losses in the last two cycles, leaving the GOP holding just one minor statewide office.

“I don’t think we’re a hard-left state,” he said. “In 2020, the election was about (then-President Donald) Trump. This election will not be about Trump. This election will be a referendum on how Democrats are handling single-party control, from defunding the police to masks in schools to problems we don’t even know yet.

“In this environment, the one-party control in Washington, a lot of people are going to say this is a bridge too far. We see men competing in women’s sports, we see people being paid to stay at home, we see ‘defund the police.’ This is what the Democrats have brought us, and Michael Bennet has been a very loyal soldier to the national Democratic Party.”

Bremer said he hasn’t determined yet whether he plans to petition onto the primary ballot or go through the caucus and assembly process.

“I think the dynamics are likely to be very different this year,” he said. “Republicans may be looking around saying, ‘OK, we really want to win,’ as opposed to looking at the litmus, purity test that often is the assembly.”

Bremer said he plans to run a campaign aimed at the general election, rather than getting bogged down in a divisive primary.

“Our thinking is, how do you compete against Michael Bennet, as opposed to how do you limp through a primary and circle the wagons next July,” he said. “We’re very interested in appealing to millions of people, not thousands. That’s going to look very different than what Republicans have tried to do in the past.”

Bremer clashed last year with El Paso County and state GOP leadership, including in a high-profile dispute first reported by Colorado Politics, when then-state party chair U.S. Rep. Ken Buck ordered Bremer to put a legislative candidate’s name on the primary ballot, even though the candidate had failed to qualify at a nominating convention.

A judge agreed with Bremer in a decision ratified by the Colorado Supreme Court, and Buck later exonerated Bremer from the party’s perspective in a document reviewed by Colorado Politics.

“I’ve demonstrated I’m wiling to crusade on things that are right – on reforming the Olympics, and I’ve called out Republicans who are bad actors,” he said. “With me, Colorado’s going to get a straight shooter who does what’s best for us and our nation.”

The Bennet campaign declined to comment, but a spokesman for the Colorado Democratic Party took aim at Bremer’s previous runs for party office in a statement that also called out other Republicans in the primary field.

“Peter Yu is running on a platform that racism is a lie and rejecting climate science, while Erik Aadland cheers on Trump’s ‘Big Lie’ and defends Marjorie Taylor Greene – now Eli Bremer throws his hat into the ring, no doubt hoping Colorado Republicans will forget about his record of failed leadership and save him from his third straight loss,” Nico Delgado said.

“While these flawed and inexperienced candidates exacerbate the chaos within the GOP, Coloradans will be reminded why Republicans have lost almost every statewide seat and majority in recent years.”

Bremer lost a bid for vice chairman of the state GOP in 2015 and last year finished third in a state party election for a position on the Republican National Committee.

Bremer’s wife, Cami, is serving her first term as an El Paso County commissioner, an office that was also held in the 1990s by his father, attorney Duncan Bremer. Bremer’s uncle, diplomat L. Paul Bremer, served as administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority for 13 months following the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

Bremer served 14 years as a commissioned Air Force officer, attaining the rank of major in the Air Force Reserves. He owns several businesses and works as a spokesman and consultant for Shaklee Corporation, in addition to regular work as a TV commentator, including a just-completed fourth stint as an Olympics announcer for NBC.