University of Colorado Regent Heidi Ganahl took the lead early over former Parker Mayor Greg Lopez as soon as early results posted — and maintained that advantage throughout the night — in the state’s Republican gubernatorial primary on Tuesday.

About an hour after polls, the Associated Press called the race for Ganahl, who held a 7-point lead over Lopez in preliminary, unofficial returns.

Ganahl will face Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, the former congressman and wealthy tech entrepreneur who poured roughly $23 million into his first gubernatorial campaign four years ago.

Lopez, who finished in third place in the 2018 GOP primary for governor, came up short despite at least $3 million in TV advertising and mailers paid for by Democratic-aligned groups who labelled him “too conservative for Colorado,” in an attempt to entice  Republican primary voters.

A triumphant Ganahl denounced attempts by Democrats to pick general election opponents.

“For a second time now, I have defeated Jared Polis and the far-left,” she said in a statement. “I beat them a few years ago in my race for University of Colorado regent, and I did it again today when they tried to steal our Republican primary. Their dirty trick backfired. Our team and our supporters are energized and ready to fight for our Colorado way of life. Let’s tell Jared Polis this is an election, not an auction.”

Colorado Democratic Party Chair Morgan Carroll tore into Ganahl in a statement that referenced Ganahl’s recent appearances on conservative media outlets and embrace of Steve Bannon, Sebastian Gorka and other personalities devoted to former President Donald Trump’s MAGA movement.

“After a year spent outlining her plans to ban abortion, elevate conspiracy theorists, and make it hard for cops to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals, Hiding Heidi can’t hide her extreme agenda any more,” Carroll said.

“Ganahl’s campaign promises to MAGA conspiracy theorists may have helped her narrowly win the primary, but they are severely out-of-step with Colorado values and make her unelectable in the general election.”

Carroll’s Republican counterpart, state GOP chairwoman Kristi Burton Brown, celebrated the Democrats’ failure to push Lopez and U.S. Senate hopeful Ron Hanks to primary wins.

“The Democrats proved throughout this primary that they are afraid,” Burton Brown said in a statement. “They spent millions of dollars in illegal and false mailers because they know Michael Bennet and Jared Polis are in trouble. They are afraid because their candidates have failed. They are a rubber stamp on the Biden agenda of record breaking gas prices and costly inflation. These failed Democrat policies are hurting Coloradans across our state. Make no mistake: we will hold these Democrat officials accountable.”

The executive director of the the Democratic Governor’s Association, which was behind much of the spending meant to boost Lopez in the primary, denounced what he described as Ganahl’s “weak and disorganized campaign,” in a statement issued after she secured the nomination.

“Heidi Ganahl is a far-right Republican who, in her nasty primary fight, has embraced extreme anti-abortion views and refused to distance herself from key players in the January 6th insurrection,” Noam Lee said in a statement. “While she promotes a fringe agenda, Ganahl has opposed policies that would actually improve Coloradans lives, including making college more affordable, expanding paid family leave, and increasing access to affordable health care.”

The wealthy founder of a national chain of dog daycare facilities, Ganahl is the only Republican holding statewide office in Colorado and has been seen as one of the GOP’s brightest stars.

Unseating Polis could be a tough climb, however, since Colorado has only elected one Republican governor in the last 50 years, and the incumbent has maintained high approval ratings since taking office.

Watch: Former gubernatorial chief of staff on primary results

Watch: KUSA coverage of primary election