Penry's in: Upstart senator announces campaign for Governor

State senator Josh Penry (R-Fruita) made it official Saturday morning, announcing that he is officially a candidate for Governor.

The Minority Leader of the state senate, Penry, 33, had been expected to run for months. Saturday's official announcement at the Mesa County courthouse in Grand Junction was what most folks had been expecting after news last week that Penry had begun to hire campaign staff and was planning his announcement at the courthouse.


Penry's candidacy sets up a Republican primary between himself and his former boss, Congressman Scott McInnis. In his 20s, Penry worked as an aide to McInnis in Washington. Evergreen businessman Dan Maes is also seeking the party's nomination to challenge incumbent Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter for the state's top job.

"I see in front of us the dawn of a new day," Penry wrote on his new campaign website, which launched Saturday morning. "A new day for those of us who see the direction of this country and our state, and we're concerned, and we're ready to push back, to fight back and chart a new beginning."

Earlier this year, the former Mesa State quarterback and father of two was dubbed "the crown prince of the Republican party" in a Denver Post article. At the State Capitol, he has been his party's most consistent voice -- and arguably it's most eloquent -- for conservative spending and fiscal restraint amidst the ongoing budget shortfalls, the state's most pressing issue and one he'd confront more fully if elected Governor.

"The state's budget also needs a fresh perspective, one that puts an end to the business-as-usual tax and spend mindset in Denver," Penry wrote on his website. "We must prove that the state can invest in schools, roads, public safety and key priorities without asking for a new tax or a new fee with the dawning of each new day."

Penry is planning another campaign kickoff-style event on the Front Range Sunday. He'll be making a speech in Morrison at 2 p.m.

Tune in to Fox31 News at 9 on Sunday night for Eli Stokols' one-on-one interview with Penry.