Congressional candidate Tyler Allcorn on Thursday became the second candidate to qualify for the Republican primary ballot in Colorado’s newly created 8th Congressional District, the Army Special Forces veteran learned when election officials announced he submitted a sufficient number of valid signatures on nominating petitions.

The first-time candidate joins Thornton Mayor Jan Kulmann on the June 28 primary ballot for the nomination in the evenly divided 8th Congressional District, which covers portions of Adams, Weld and Larimer counties north of the Denver metro area. Three other Republicans are vying for spots in the primary, and two Democrats are running in the district.

According to the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office, Allcorn submitted 1,943 valid signatures from fellow Republicans, more than the 1,500 required for Colorado congressional candidates to make the ballot. He turned in 2,803 signatures.

“Coloradans are ready to send a Green Beret to Washington who will represent the people of our district and not the elites,” Allcorn told Colorado Politics in a statement.

“I’m an immigrant to this country and my family’s ticket to the American dream was the oil and gas industry. At a time when we face threats across the world, lack of affordability here at home, and the need to unleash our energy industry on the world, I know my background uniquely qualifies me to best represent the people of Colorado’s 8th district.”

Petitions were due last week. Two of the other Republicans running in the new district – state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer and business owner Giulianna “Jewels” Gray – submitted theirs after Kulmann and Allcorn and are awaiting word whether they’ll qualify for the primary.

Candidates who turn in completed petitions ahead of their primary opponents have an advantage because Colorado law allows a voter to sign just one petition for the same office. Once a voter’s signature has been ruled valid for one candidate, the same voter’s signature can’t be counted toward the total on a petition submitted later by a another candidate in the same race.

Weld County Commissioner Lori Saine, a former state lawmaker, is the only Republican running in the 8th CD who didn’t circulate petitions. She’s banking on winning a slot in the primary at the GOP’s district assembly in April, where she’ll need the support of more than 30% of the delegates.

The Democrats running in the 8th CD are state Rep. Yadira Caraveo and Adams County Commissioner Charles “Chaz” Tedesco. Both plan to go through the Democrats’ district assembly next month, and Caraveo has also submitted petitions.

Allcorn is the fourth federal or state-level candidate to qualify for the primary ballot in Colorado this cycle. In addition to Kulmann, others who have cleared the hurdle are U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn, a Colorado Springs Republican seeking his ninth term in the 5th Congressional District, and Democrat Alex Walker, a newcomer challenging U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert in the 3rd Congressional District.