Weld County Republican Peter Yu on Friday filed paperwork to run in next year’s GOP primary in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District, joining a already crowded field of candidates vying to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Ken Buck.

Yu’s entry comes days after Republican U.S. Rep.Lauren Boebert announced she’ll run for another term in Congress in the 4th CD rather than seek reelection in the more competitive, Western Slope-based 3rd Congressional District, which she has represented for two terms.

In all, eight GOP candidates have so far declared candidacies in the heavily Republican 4th CD, which covers Douglas County and the state’s Eastern Plains, including portions of Larimer and Weld counties.

A finance and mortgage consultant and the child of immigrants, Yu was the 2018 Republican nominee in the neighboring 2nd Congressional District but lost to Democrat Joe Neguse. He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate last year.

“As a candidate who grew up in Loveland, and now lives in Weld County, I am excited to be the voice of my home city and the entire district that has been so good to my family and I all these years,” Yu told Colorado Politics in an email.

“Over the past six years of running for office, I have had the opportunity to travel throughout Colorado’s 4th District, and am so thankful for all the connections I have made and support I have received during this time.”

Yu said he looks forward to “collaborating with the other candidates in this race during this upcoming campaign to help bring our party together and bring attention to the items that truly are a problem for the future of our nation. We need resolution of the issues plaguing our state and country, not this continued bitterness and division that we see everyday.”

Added Yu: “It is my hope that the people of this district, state, and country have a true representative that understands that the job of being a public servant is to serve the people, and not their own personal interests. It is my goal to always be available to preserve the Constitution and protect our rights. The people of Colorado’s Congressional district four and the people of Colorado deserve more than the status quo. Our country is facing serious issues, and we need real solutions. Immigration, national debt, crime, energy, and land and water rights are only the start of what I will be addressing.”

In addition to Boebert, the other Republicans running in the primary are former state Sens. Jerry Sonnenberg and Ted Harvey, state Rep. Richard Holtorf, conservative talk radio host Deborah Flora, first-time candidate Justin Schreiber and Weld County Council member Trent Leisy. House Minority Leader Mike Lynch is expected to join the field next year.

Democrats Isaac McCorkle, John Padora and Karen Breslin are also running in the district.