Democrat Yadira Caraveo plans to report raising more than $1.5 million in the most recent quarter, bringing her total haul to more than $2.6 million since the state representative and Thornton pediatrician launched a bid to represent Colorado’s new 8th Congressional District, her campaign said Tuesday.

Caraveo is running against state Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer in what has turned into the most competitive congressional race in the state.

The Democrat plans to report more than $550,000 cash on hand at the end of the quarter on Sept. 30. Her campaign says she received more than 13,000 individual donations during the three-month period.

A spokesman for Kirkmeyer’s campaign declined to release her fundraising totals for the quarter. The Republican raised about $400,000 through June 30 and had about $65,000 on hand at the end of the second quarter, according to filed reports. 

Reports for congressional candidates covering the third quarter are due to the Federal Election Commission on Oct. 15.

“Families from Greeley to Commerce City are looking for a representative who will fight for them – not special interests,” Caraveo said in a statement first obtained by Colorado Politics. “This strong support demonstrates that working families across CO-08 are looking for a congresswoman with a clear record of fighting to lower costs – not a career politician with an extreme and dangerous agenda like Sen. Kirkmeyer.”

“I have spent my life fighting for working families and I can’t wait to take that fight to the halls of Congress,” Caraveo added. 

The evenly divided 8th CD covers parts of Adams, Weld and Larimer counties north of the Denver metro area, from suburban Thornton and Northglenn, stretching north along the U.S. 85 corridor to Brighton and Greeley.

The state’s independent redistricting commission, which drew its boundaries last year after the state gained an additional U.S. House seat due to population growth, noted that Democrat Joe Biden won the district’s voters in 2020 and Republican Donald Trump carried its electorate in 2016. It has the largest share of Hispanic residents among the state’s congressional districts.

TV viewers are likely aware that the contest between Caraveo and Kirkmeyer is among the most hotly contested in the state this cycle, with more than $15 million worth of fall TV advertising reserved by both major party’s candidates, campaign committees and super PACs.

Mail ballots start going out to most Colorado voters in two weeks and are due back to county clerks by Nov. 8.