U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper has qualified for Colorado’s Democratic primary after the first-term incumbent submitted enough valid petition signatures to make the ballot, state officials said.

Hickenlooper is facing primary challenges from state Sen. Julie Gonzales, D-Denver, and university professor Karen Breslin, who are both vying for spots in the June 30 primary at the Democrats’ state assembly on Saturday in Pueblo.

A former two-term governor, Hickenlooper announced late last week that he was withdrawing from the assembly process and would rely entirely on the petitions he’d already submitted.

To qualify for the ballot by petition, major party candidates for the U.S. Senate and governor must turn in 1,500 valid signatures from registered members of their party in each of the state’s eight congressional districts, for a total of 12,000.

The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office said Tuesday that 14,925 of the 17,322 signatures the Hickenlooper campaign submitted were valid, easily clearing the mark.

Hickenlooper was the only U.S. Senate candidate to submit petitions by last week’s deadline.

A half dozen Republicans are running for the seat, including state Sen. Mark Baisley, R-Woodland Park; former state Rep. Janak Joshi, R-Colorado Springs; retired Marine Col. George Markert; and Montrose County Commissioner Sean Pond. They’re all seeking berths in the GOP primary at the party’s state assembly on April 11, also in Pueblo.

Candidates going through the assembly process need the support of 30% of delegates to land a slot in the primary. If they’re taking both routes, successful petitioners need just 10% of delegate votes to make the primary.

Hickenlooper said in a statement that he was looking ahead to November, when Democrats hope to win a majority in the U.S. Senate.

“This corrupt administration breaks promises and steals from us for their political gain,” Hickenlooper said. “We refuse to accept their lawlessness. We won’t sleep until we restore our control of Congress and stop their crime wave.”

Gonzales, who launched her campaign in December, said the incumbent’s decision to skip the assembly process shows that she’s more in tune with the party’s grassroots.

“We’ll know soon how much Sen. Hickenlooper paid to collect those signatures,” Gonzales said in a text message. “Meanwhile, our campaign has been meeting voters where they’re at, listening to their concerns, and winning their support, which is why we expect to make the top line. Can’t wait to see my name on the ballot, just above his.”

Hickenlooper made a similar move six years ago on his way to unseating Republican U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner. After trailing former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff by roughly 25 points in early preference polls at caucuses, Hickenlooper announced he would skip the party’s assemblies once he learned he’d qualified for the primary by petition. He went on to win the nomination by beating Romanoff in the primary by 17 points.

The candidate who wins the most delegate votes at the assembly also wins the top-line designation on Colorado’s primary ballot. According to preference polls conducted at the Democrats’ county assemblies earlier this month, Gonzales appears to be on track to achieve that distinction.

Not including Hickenlooper, who exited the process midway through the party’s county assemblies, Gonzales received 55.8% of county delegate votes in non-binding preference polls used to allocate delegates to the Democrats’ state assembly. Uncommitted came in second with 23.6%, followed by Breslin with 19.5% and Jessica Williams with 1.1%. A party spokesman said votes received by Hickenlooper before he withdrew were included in the uncommitted pile.

Heading into Saturday’s assembly, where it will take support from at least 30% of state delegates to make the ballot, Gonzales counted 67% of the delegates, with Breslin at 17% and uncommitted at 16%. Once at the assembly, delegates can vote however they want, since party rules specify that they aren’t bound to a candidate.

Colorado’s primary election is June 30.