Republican congressional candidate Jan Kulmann, the mayor of Thornton and one of six GOP hopefuls in Colorado’s new 8th District, plans to report raising more than $150,000 in a matter of weeks during the just-completed fourth quarter, her campaign said Tuesday.

Kulmann received an endorsement at the same time from state Sen. John Cooke, R-Greeley, a former Weld County sheriff and one of the Republicans who had until recently considered running for the seat, which is expected to be the most competitive congressional race in the state this year.

“Jan is an engineer, a mayor and a working mom – not one of these career politicians,” Cooke said in a statement. “Even while serving as mayor and city councilmember, Jan’s never stopped working in the oil and gas industry. And Jan has proven she can beat Democrats and liberal interest groups when the stakes are highest.”

Kulmann, who launched her campaign on Dec. 7, brought in $155,385 for the fundraising period that ended on Dec. 31, including $25,000 she contributed to her own campaign, spokesman Zack Roday told Colorado Politics. Roday said the campaign’s end-of-quarter cash on hand wasn’t available. Reports are due to the Federal Election Commission on Jan. 31.

“Despite our short timeline, this result demonstrates Coloradans are ready to send a conservative outsider – who knows how to stand up to the far left – all the way to DC,” Kulmann said in a statement. “I know how to take on the far left because I’ve beat them before. Senator John Cooke knows how to beat them, too, and I’m honored to have his support as we stand up to their radical agenda and promote common-sense, conservative policies. In just a few weeks, we’ve built a foundation for our campaign to fight back against Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden’s reckless policies.”

The nearly evenly divided 8th CD, drawn by an independent commission this fall, stretches from Adams County suburbs north of Denver to Greeley in Weld County. It’s the only Colorado district rated ahead of this year’s election as a toss-up, though Democrats have a slight edge in voter registration and performance in recent statewide elections among its voters.

Other Republicans seeking the nomination for the seat include state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, Weld County Commissioner Lori Saine, former congressional candidate Ryan Gonzalez, business owner Giulianna “Jewels” Gray and Army Special Forces veteran Tyler Allcorn, who declared his candidacy on Monday.

The Democrats running are state Rep. Yadira Caraveo, Adams County Commissioner Charles “Chaz” Tedesco and nonprofit consultant Johnny Humphrey.

Precinct caucuses will be held during the first week of March. The primary election is on June 28.