Republican Nominee for Governor, Colorado
By Rebecca J. Horvath, Tennessee
Throughout her adult life, Heidi Ganahl has turned adversity into action and action into success. This month, her plans for success include winning the biggest election in Colorado.
Heidi is running for governor of the Centennial State against incumbent Democrat Jared Polis. She’s running for office because she wants Colorado to offer the same promise and opportunities to her kids as it did for her. A member of the Douglas County Republican Women, Heidi is a trailblazer who would be the first woman to serve as governor of Colorado.
The candidate already has the claim to fame of being the only statewide elected Republican in Colorado - she sits on the University of Colorado Board of Regents. Heidi is also an author, speaker, and philanthropist - all roles that came from tragedy.
When Heidi was only 27 years old, her husband died in a plane crash. Honoring his memory by starting a business they had dreamed of together, she founded doggie day care company Camp Bow Wow, now the largest pet care franchise brand in the world. Along with the $150 million brand, the company has a sister charity, the Bow Wow Buddies Foundation. Heidi also created She Factor - an organization that trains and empowers women - and Moms Fight Back and the Fight Back Foundation, two charities focused on issues impacting kids.
While building her business and charitable organizations, Heidi married Jason Ganahl, a restaurateur, and had four children. Then, two years ago, Heidi had her own encounter with mortality when she faced surgery for a benign brain tumor. With a renewed sense of purpose and ambition, she announced her plans to run for governor soon after recovering.
As she travels across the state, Heidi shares her key areas of focus with voters: safety, freedom, issues impacting families, and rural Coloradoans.
In many states, including Colorado, the 2022 midterm is the first time gubernatorial races have been on the ballot since the Covid-19 pandemic. Voters have an opportunity to either endorse or stand against the leaders who enforced restrictions and rules during the turbulent period. Choices in the voting booth now will impact any future crisis in ways we never anticipated before Covid.
After overcoming obstacles and nearly unbearable hurdles, Heidi Ganahl is ready to take on the challenge of leading Colorado back to excellence. Like many women, she has found motherhood to be clarifying and motivating. In fact, it’s provided her with the simplest and most accurate campaign slogan: she’s a mom on a mission.
Learn more about Heidi's campaign at www.heidiforgovernor.com.