COLORADO, USA — Republican candidate Erik Aadland defeated Laurel Imer and Tim Reichert Tuesday in the primary for the 7th Congressional District, according to results provided by The Associated Press.
The winner will face Democratic state Sen. Brittany Pettersen, who has no primary challenger, in the general election on Nov. 8.
"I am thrilled and humbled by this hard-won success,” Aadland said in a statement. “So much of this victory goes to my extraordinary team, who has worked tirelessly for over a year to spread our message of strength, unity, and virtue throughout CD7. I am eternally grateful to my wife Megan, and our three amazing kids, for standing by me each step of the way."
The 7th Congressional District seat is open with the retirement of Democratic Rep. Ed Perlmutter, who has represented the district since 2006.
The latest results are below:
The district used to encompass portions of Adams, Arapahoe and Jefferson counties until it was redrawn in 2021. Its new borders go from Broomfield County in the north to Lake and Chaffee counties in the west and stretches to Custer County in the south. The redrawn district includes Park, Teller and Fremont counties. Most of Jefferson County remains within the district.
Aadland graduated from West Point and served combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan before he retired from the military to pursue a career in the oil and gas industry. He’s a fiscal conservative who wants to fight government overreach, according to his campaign website.
“Now, I am ready to face Brittney Petterson in the general election and prove that Coloradans do not want the radical ideologies she is trying to force upon us," Aadland said in his statement. "The wind is at our backs, and I am confident voters will choose me to be their champion in November, to represent them honorably in DC.”
In 2020, Imer served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention and ran for state House District 24, losing to incumbent Monica Duran. She served as the Jefferson County chairperson for former President Donald Trump’s campaign in 2016.
Reichert told Colorado Politics that his background as an economist and his plan to restore the middle class have resonated with voters: "I look forward to continuing to campaign hard and be the nominee who will stop partisan state legislator Brittany Pettersen from taking her record of hurting Colorado families to our nation’s capital."
According to active voter registration, the district leans Democratic. As of June 1, the district had 517,635 active voters:
- Unaffiliated: 236,899
- Democrat: 143,249
- Republican: 128, 441
- Other parties: 9,046
RELATED: Q&A: Colorado primary ballots
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