The communications strategist who handled press for Republican Cory Gardner’s 2014 U.S. Senate campaign is the latest prominent Colorado Republican to join Advance Colorado, the conservative advocacy organization announced on Thursday.

Matt Connelly, who founded and runs right-leaning online media site Campfire Colorado, will be the group’s vice president of media.

“Liberal policies are failing our state and it’s time that we put the people of Colorado at the center of the discussion about the future of our state,” Connelly said in a statement.

“Advance Colorado is putting the left on notice that it does not have a monopoly on policy making in our state and whether it’s through ballot initiatives, legal action, or training citizen leaders, we will pursue every action to empower the people to save our state from radical liberal policies.”

The nonprofit last month hired Kristi Burton Brown, the outgoing chair of the Colorado Republican Party, as a senior policy advisor.

“We are assembling a team of conservative leaders at Advance Colorado that will help educate Coloradans about conservative policies that impact their everyday lives,” Advance Colorado Institute President Michael Fields said in a statement, adding that Connelly’s experience in media will provide a “big boost” to the nonprofit’s efforts.

After serving as press secretary on Gardner’s winning 2014 campaign, Connelly was national press secretary for the National Republican Senatorial Committee for the 2016 cycle. He also worked on the communications teams of presidential candidates John McCain, Jon Huntsman, Mitt Romney and Scott Walker, and ran the news room for Arnold Schwarzenegger when the movie star was governor of California.

Since launching Campfire Colorado last year, Connelly has interviewed numerous leading Republicans for the platform, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and U.S. Sens. Tom Cotton, Tim Scott and Joni Ernst. He said he plans to continue operating the site after starting his new job.

Founded in 2020, Advance Colorado backed last year’s successful statewide ballot measure to reduce Colorado’s income tax rate and helped launch a bid to recall state Sen. Kevin Priola after the Brighton lawmaker changed his party registration from Republican to Democrat, though the group dropped the effort after an unfavorable court ruling.

The group operates a policy institute and leadership training program and is associated with Advance Colorado Action, which works to influence legislation and ballot measures.

Earlier this week, Fields asked Gov. Jared Polis to call a special legislative session to address rising property taxes without drawing on anticipated tax refunds under the TABOR amendment.