Former state Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg announced this morning that he’s running for Congress to replace fellow Republican Ken Buck, who’s announced his resignation from his northern Colorado seat.
“It’s time to take my public service to the next level, quite frankly, and do what I can do to represent the good people of the 4th Congressional District in Washington,” said Sonnenberg today on KCOL’s right-wing Jimmy Lakey Show. “I’m just like them. I’m an average working American, a patriot, who loves his country and wants to serve.”
In the interview, Sonnenberg mentioned his concerns about the growth of the federal budget.
During his tenure at the Capitol, Sonnenberg developed a reputation as a back-slapping hard-right Republican.
In his last year of service, for example, he cosponsored a bill that would have allowed doctors to write off-label prescriptions for drugs “including hydroxychloroquine sulfate and ivermectin” for the treatment of COVID. He was an early supporter of Trump.
During his time in the Legislature, Sonnenberg failed to disclose his ownership of five companies and more than 5,000 acres of land–holdings which he spent more than one and a half million dollars acquiring. Despite the requirement to file a personal financial disclosure every year of his decade-plus in the legislature, Sonnenberg never declared his interest in any of these assets.
Sonnenberg faces fellow Republicans Deborah Flora, a KNUS talk radio host, state Rep. Richard Holtorf, Justin Schreiber, and Trent Leisy, a Weld County businessman, in a primary on June 25.
Other Republicans floated as possible candidates include Gino Campana, who ran for U.S. Senate, and former State Sen. Rob Woodward.
