In the latest sign Arvada Republican Lang Sias is preparing to launch a campaign for office, a top GOP operative formed a nonprofit this week called “Lang Sias for Colorado,” according to records obtained by Colorado Politics.

The attorney, former Top Gun instructor, one-term state lawmaker and 2018 GOP nominee for lieutenant governor has been considering challenging Democratic State Treasurer Dave Young, who is seeking a second term in next year’s election but has yet to draw a Republican opponent, Colorado Politics was first to report in August.

The nonprofit corporation was registered on Tuesday with the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office. Republican operative Katie Kennedy, the compliance officer for dozens of conservative and Republican campaign committees, filed the paperwork as its registered agent.

Sias, who pilots international routes for FedEx, told Colorado Politics nearly two years ago that he had ruled out running for office in 2020 or 2022, though he advised prospective Republican candidates that the “pendulum will swing” in Colorado, where the GOP has been on the ropes in recent cycles.

While Republicans have been slow to field candidates for Democratic-held statewide offices in next year’s election, a Republican sweep in last week’s Virginia election has been fueling renewed confidence that the party can rebound from a string of top-ticket losses since 2016.

Sias didn’t immediately respond to multiple requests for comment on Friday. A spokeswoman for Young’s campaign declined to comment.

Sias, who flew F-18s for 11 years in the Navy and is a retired lieutenant colonel in the Air Force Air National Guard, was the featured guest Thursday at a Foothills Republican club luncheon in Lakewood billed as a Veterans Day tribute.

The office of state treasurer in Colorado has traditionally been a springboard to higher office, including two recent governors who ascended from the office, Democrat Roy Romer and Republican Bill Owens, as well as unsuccessful gubernatorial candidates Gail Schoettler and Cary Kennedy, both Democrats, and Walker Stapleton, the Republican who tapped Sias as his running mate three years ago.

The Stapleton-Sias ticket lost to Democratic Gov. Jared Polis and Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera. Sias ran for office four times before that – winning a full term in 2016 to represent House District 27 after being appointed to the seat to fill a vacancy, losing two Senate District 19 bids in 2012 and 2014, and losing a 7th Congressional District primary in 2010.