The three Colorado Democrats seeking reelection to U.S. House seats on Monday said they want state Sen. Britany Pettersen to join them in Washington.

U.S. Reps. Diana DeGette, Joe Neguse and Jason Crow formally endorsed Pettersen, a Lakewood Democrat, in the race for the 7th Congressional District seat held by U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, the Arvada Democrat who announced earlier this month that he isn’t running for a ninth term.

The move virtually guarantees a clear path to the nomination for Pettersen, who was first elected to the legislature in 2012 and declared her congressional candidacy the day after Perlmutter announced his retirement. Perlmutter and U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet endorsed Pettersen last week.

Four Republicans are running in the district, which is considered more competitive under new boundaries approved last fall by an independent redistricting commission, though its electorate still favors Democrats by about seven points, according to the commission’s analysis.

DeGette, who is seeking a 14th term representing the Denver-based 1sts Congressional District, said in a statement that she looks forward to serving with Pettersen.

“From her leadership on mental health to her staunch advocacy for women and families, Brittany has proven herself to be an advocate for our values who gets results,” DeGette said. “With the recent attacks on women’s rights, it is more important than ever to elect effective pro-choice women to Congress.”

Neguse, who represents the Boulder-based 2nd Congressional District, said in a statement that he has known Pettersen for more than a decade since they first crossed paths at New Era Colorado, an organization co-founded by Neguse to engage young voters.

“From her incredible work expanding access to mental health services to taking on the opioid epidemic, and fighting for early childhood education and development, Brittany has been a champion for Colorado in the state House and state Senate, and I know she will continue to fight for us in Congress,” he said.

Calling Pettersen a proven fighter for her community, Crow, who represents the Aurora-based 3rd Congressional District, said he’s proud to support her run.

“As the daughter of working-class parents, Brittany Pettersen has always known how hard American families have to work just to make ends meet,” he said in a statement. “As we continue to focus on beating the pandemic and rebuilding an economy that prioritizes working families, Coloradans need servant leaders like Brittany in Congress who truly understand the challenges we face.”

Neguse and Crow were both elected in 2018 and are seeking their third terms in the U.S. House.

Pettersen said she believes the state’s congressional Democrats have “set the bar for what Americans should expect from their representatives in Congress” and added that she is “humbled” to earn their support.

Added Pettersen: “I’ve spent my career advocating for Colorado’s workers and families, and now I’m ready to take my experience to Washington, where I’ll work to combat climate change, put an end to this pandemic and build an economy that prioritizes the middle class.”

Two first-time candidates, Kyle Faust and Julius Mopper, have filed to run for the Democratic nomination in the district.

The Republicans running include Army veteran and first-time candidate Erik Aadland, former legislative candidate Laurel Imer, Golden economist Tim Reichert and Teller County resident Carl E. Andersen.

Under new boundaries that go into effect after this year’s election, the 7th CD covers Broomfield, Jefferson County and six sparsely populated mountain counties south and west of the metro area, stretching past Cañon City.

Colorado’s primary election is June 28.