Republican congressional candidate Scott James, a Weld County commissioner, this week unveiled endorsements from 21 of his fellow county commissioners.

“We recognize all very much the similar thing, that our constituents are the ones that matter, not the nonsense that goes on in Washington, D.C.,” James said in a campaign video, flanked by more than a dozen commissioners.

“The legislature tends to argue, procrastinate, bloviate and eventually waste the time of the constituents they represent,” he said. “Meanwhile, local government gets it done.”

The announcement came at the conclusion of the winter meeting of Colorado Counties, Inc., an association of county officials, in Westminster.

A longtime radio personality and former chairman of the Weld County GOP, James is one of three Republicans running in next year’s 8th Congressional District’s GOP primary to challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo, who is seeking a second term.

Caraveo, a Thornton pediatrician and former state lawmaker, won election in the newly created district last year by just over 1,500 votes in one of the closest congressional races in the country.

The nearly evenly divided seat covers parts of Adams, Weld and Larimer counties north of the Denver metro area. Rated a toss-up by national election forecasters, the race has already drawn heavy spending by both major national parties.

Also seeking the Republican nomination are state Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Fort Lupton, and Joseph Andujo, a Larimer County health insurance agent and first-time candidate.

“Scott is, honestly, one of those rarities amongst modern day candidates and politicos,” said Fremont County Commissioner Kevin Grantham, a former president of the state Senate. “He doesn’t exist solely in that nonproductive realm of extreme, hyper partisanship. He is a steady, proven, principled problem-solver, and he’s one who works hard for common sense solutions.”

Fremont County Commissioner Debbie Bell said James will “bring back common sense to Colorado, because we don’t have a lot of it right now.”

“Scott knows and understands smaller government is better government,” she added. “Local control is better control. We need to get out of the way and let business do business.”

Saying his current position “might be the best elected job in the state of Colorado,” James said he has an answer when people ask why he would want to go to Washington.

“The reason is simple: to remind them that smaller government is better, that the government that’s closest to home is better, that we need to get things done like a local government and not bloviate and procrastinate and consternate over things that don’t matter.”

Among the commissioners backing James are two of his four fellow Weld County commissioners, Mike Freeman and Kevin Ross, whose endorsements his campaign announced in October.

The others hail from 14 counties across the state:

Douglas County Commissioner George Teal; Elbert County Commissioner Chris Richardson; Fremont County Commissioner Dwayne McFall; Las Animas County Commissioners Felix Lopez and Tony Hass; Mesa County Commissioners Cody Davis and Janet Rowland; Mineral County Commissioner Ramona Weber; Montezuma County Commissioner James Candelaria; Montrose County Commissioner Sue Hansen; Phillips County Commissioners Terry Hofmeister and Gerald Roberts; Prowers County Commissioner Wendy Buxton-Andrade; Teller County Commissioners Erik Stone and Dan Williams; Washington County Commissioner Kent Vance; Weld County Commissioners Mike Freeman and Kevin Ross; and Yuma County Commissioner Scott Weaver.