Weld County Commissioner Scott James on Wednesday announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination in Colorado’s battleground 8th Congressional District, becoming the first declared challenger hoping to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo.

The veteran radio personality and chairman of the county GOP filed paperwork for the seat hours after Republican state Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer, who narrowly lost the election to Caraveo last year, announced that she won’t seek a rematch and will instead run for reelection to the legislature.

“I am running for Congress because I believe in my fellow Coloradans,” James said in a statement. “I believe in our rugged individualism and the dreams we have for our families. I believe in our commitment to freedom and the rule of law. I believe we deserve a government that is as good as the people it is elected to serve.”

James co-hosts Scott and Sadie, a popular weekday morning radio show on Big 97.9 FM, a country music station that broadcasts in northern Colorado. He won reelection last year to a second term on the county commission after serving four terms on the Johnstown town council and one term as the town’s mayor.

“I’m not a politician. I’m just a guy who has been given a gift to communicate and a calling to serve,” James said in his announcement, adding, “We must win in 2024 if we want to save our country.”

On his campaign website, which launched soon after James made his candidacy official, James describes what motivates him to public service.

“I recognize that every skill and every aspect of my life is led and used by the hand of God,” James says. “I’m just a guy who puts his faith in Jesus and lets Him lead me. From the ranch, to the radio, to your representative in local government, the path may seem unlikely, but in the eyes of God, it’s perfectly directed. Serving our community and our country is what I am called to do.”

“Our nation is at a precipice,” James warns, adding that he believes that “Joe Biden is a failure as our president.”

A fourth-generation Coloradan, James grew up in LaSalle and lives in Johnstown with his wife, Julie, and their son Jack.

The evenly divided 8th CD, Colorado’s newest congressional district, covers portions of Adams, Weld and Larimer counties north of Denver and is considered the state’s most competitive seat. Both major parties rank the district as a top target, and already Caraveo has drawn heavy spending on attack ads by Republicans who hope to flip the seat.

Caraveo, a Thornton pediatrician and former state lawmaker, defeated Kirkmeyer in 2022 by just over 1,600 votes, or 0.69 percentage points, out of nearly 240,000 votes cast. A Libertarian nominee who didn’t actively campaign received more than 9,000 votes, prompting some Republicans to describe the third-party candidate as a spoiler.

Colorado GOP Chairman Dave Williams told Colorado Politics on Wednesday that he hopes a recently sealed deal between state Republicans and Libertarians will help avert anything like that happening next year.

Under the agreement, Colorado Libertarians have said they won’t put up candidates for competitive seats if the GOP nominates “pro-liberty” candidates. Williams said the parties are working out what that will look like.

“Both parties are finalizing details on what the Libertarians expect of every Republican primary challenger so we prevent a third-party spoiler from emerging, and we will soon share those expectations to every declared candidate that comes forward,” Williams said.

Several other Republicans have said they’re considering runs in the district, including first-term state Rep. Gabe Evans, a former police officer and Army veteran from Fort Lupton; Steve Moreno, a former Weld County commissioner and county clerk; 2022 Republican U.S. Senate nominee Joe O’Dea, who owns a Denver-based construction company and lives in Greenwood Village; and, former state Rep. Dan Woog, an Erie real estate broker who lost a bid for reelection to the legislature last year.

Caraveo’s campaign declined to comment on James’ candidacy, but Colorado Democratic Party Chairman Shad Murib didn’t hesitate to lob some attacks.

“Scott James has said that women having the freedom to make their own health care choices caused ‘the rapid decline of civilization,’ and even supports sheriffs skirting their responsibility to enforce life-saving gun safety laws,” Murib told Colorado Politics in a text message.

Murib was referring to remarks James made as a talk radio host more than a decade ago and James’ support for a resolution declaring Weld County a “Second Amendment sanctuary,” allowing its law enforcement officers to refuse to enforce certain state gun laws.

Added Murib: “Scott James isn’t qualified to serve the good people of Weld County, let alone the rest of the district, and we wish him luck when he returns to his talk radio career.”

Viet Shelton, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, lauded Caraveo and her chances in an emailed statement.

“Since Rep. Caraveo’s victory last year, she has been fighting for Colorado’s working families – lowering costs for hardworking families, tackling housing affordability, combating climate change, and protecting a woman’s right to choose. As a battle-tested incumbent with a record of delivering for her constituents, we’re confident Coloradans will reelect her in 2024,” he said.

A spokeswoman for the Congressional Leadership Fund, a Republican group aligned with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, declined to comment on James’ announcement.