Stefanik gives first 2022 gubernatorial endorsement – to GOP'S Heidi Ganahl in Colorado

New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, a member of House Republican leadership, on Monday issued her first 2022 gubernatorial endorsement, to Colorado GOP governor candidate Heidi Ganahl.

Stefanik, the House GOP Conference chairwoman, applauded Ganahl's work and criticized incumbent Democratic Gov. Jared Polis.

"I'm endorsing the strongest candidate in the Colorado GOP primary and the woman who can most assuredly take on Jared Polis and his $24M bank account and win," Stefanik wrote in a statement obtained by Just the News.

Ganahl said she is "blessed and honored to be endorsed by Elise."

"I have so much respect for Elise," the gubernatorial candidate told Just the News. "She's truly a leader in the conservative movement. And it's such a shining example for women across the country on how to fight for a great country."

Stefanik pointed to Ganahl's strength in her endorsement and said that it is "time for Colorado to have its first woman governor."

As an at large member of the Colorado Board of Regents, Ganahl is the only Republican currently elected to statewide office in Colorado.

"I'd like to be elected based on my merits of leadership and experience, but I would be honored to be the first woman governor of Colorado," Ganahl said. "And I think it's a special moment in time for women across the country. We're standing up, we're speaking up ... We're tired of the distraction that we're seeing across our country and in our states and with our kids."

"Heidi is a fighter who has faced tougher battles than Polis, including the loss of her first husband in a plane crash," said Stefanik, the third-highest-ranking Republican in Congress. "She emerged from those tests of strength as a 'mom on a mission' to lower crime and soaring costs, and to give power back to parents in the education of their children.

"I need every Coloradan who is ready to take back the Colorado way of life to join me in supporting Heidi Ganahl."

Ganahl told Just the News that she is excited about the election and hopes to fight big government as governor.

"I'm just excited to be on the frontlines fighting to get our beautiful state of Colorado back," she said. "[I] trust the people of our state to make good decisions for their lives, their businesses, their family."

Ganahl said that "government overreach has changed our lives. And the Colorado way of life, as we call it, is about trusting people to make good decisions."

Gov. Polis has been criticized for his policies, including on criminal justice and COVID-19.

"I've been blessed to live the American dream, and I want to protect that for future generations," Ganahl said. "We've all got to put our hand up and be the change we want to see in politics and in leadership."