Republican former state Rep. Judy Reyher wants to come back to the Colorado General Assembly, this time seeking the Senate seat currently held by term-limited Senate President Leroy Garcia, D-Pueblo.

Reyher, then a resident of Swink in Otero County, was appointed to replace Rep. Clarice Navarro-Ratzlaff in November 2017. Navarro-Ratzlaff was appointed to the Department of Agriculture by then-President Trump.

Reyher served in the 2018 session and filed to run for the House District 47 seat but lost in the 2018 primary to Don Bendell, who was defeated in the November general election by then-Rep. Bri Buentello, D-Pueblo.

Reyher’s appointment was not without controversy. Her opponent, Tamra Axworthy, challenged the results of the 6-5 vote.

Colorado Politics also reported at the time “a Republican legislator [state Rep. Dave Williams] told Reyher to expect a primary, a progressive organization was calling on her to step aside before being sworn in, she was apologizing for social media posts some found ‘offensive and racist,’ the state GOP chairman called Reyher to express his ‘displeasure and disagreement’ with her social media posts, and the state Democratic Party was urging Republicans to replace her on next year’s ballot.”

Among the social media posts that earned Reyher scorn were claims that former President Barack Obama was not born in the United States, that African-Americans are “hatred filled beings,” and that Muslims came to America to “make certain we stop enjoying … pork, beer, dogs, bikinis, Jesus and freedom of speech.”

In a statement after the appointment, Reyher said “I would like to apologize for the comments or posts on Facebook that have been found offensive and racist. However, the fact of the matter is, I am not a racist. This country was founded by immigrants, and I embrace all Americans, no matter their walk of life. Diversity is what makes America, America.”

Senate District 3, based in Pueblo, has been reliably Democratic for years. However, the redistricting commission places it at a 5.1% Democratic lean based on election results in 2016, 2018 and 2020, years in which Trump was considered a factor. The district is likely competitive in 2022, especially without an incumbent.

Two Democrats, Nick Hinrichsen (who is married to Buentello) and Jason Munoz, also have filed for the seat.