As Colorado tilts to the left, the state’s Republicans need fresh, compelling, dynamic leaders who can lift their party out of its current doldrums. Especially in those stretches of the state that still lean to the right.

Voters in one such region — the vast and overwhelmingly Republican 4th Congressional District, which spans the Eastern Plains — have an opportunity to send just such a rising star to Congress. Deborah Flora not only has the ability to put the district’s deep conservatism into words and deeds in Washington; she also has the potential to infuse new vitality into the Colorado Republican cause overall.

Vying to represent the district amid a crowded field of contenders for the Republican nomination in next month’s GOP primary, Flora readily matches her rivals on key considerations that are staples of any Republican campaign.

Like all the candidates, she can point to conservative bona fides on all the big issues. She seeks to cut taxes; balance the bleeding federal budget; beef up border security with a wall and better enforcement, and promote energy independence. She wants second-to-none national security, “education, not indoctrination” and a sacrosanct Second Amendment.

A warm and engaging personality, she also promises to be diligent and effective at constituent service — all the more crucial in a largely rural district dotted with small agricultural communities scattered far apart.

Another candidate in the race, popular Logan County Commissioner Jerry Sonnenberg, has deep agricultural roots as a lifelong farmer and rancher. He doubtless would represent the ag community well in Congress — as he did for years when he served in the state legislature.

But Flora stands out from the pack on something of pivotal importance to a state that is at a political crossroads: She distinguishes herself as a face and voice for her party’s future. A media entrepreneur; a nationally recognized parental-rights advocate; a familiar voice on talk radio, and a seasoned filmmaker who has honed conservative messaging — she is a thought leader who can advance bold ideas.

Sign up for free: Gazette Opinion

All of which positions her to take on the establishment in Washington; to hold her own on the issues — and to stare down the other party in the halls of Congress.

Those attributes are all the more consequential in a congressional district that itself has been undergoing change. Slightly reconfigured since the 2020 Census, the 4th District no longer includes northeastern Colorado’s hub, Greeley, and instead bumps up against the state’s No. 1 and No. 2 metro areas. The district’s boundary comes close to the eastern outskirts of both Denver and Colorado Springs and continues to encompass booming and ever-more-suburbanizing Douglas County — where Flora herself lives. All are solidly Republican areas at present but also are more metropolitan than rural, more commuter than farmer or rancher.

It is a population mix that is politically in play — some enclaves in Douglas County now actually trend Democratic — and it’s where Flora stands to refresh and shore up the Republican brand.

At the same time — as Flora makes clear — farmers and ranchers remain the “lifeblood” of eastern Colorado. And she pledges to, “fight to ensure that Colorado’s agricultural industry has the opportunity to grow and thrive …” In other words, our state’s ag producers — who put dinner on the table for all Coloradans — can count on Flora to stand by their interests and advocate for them aggressively in Washington.

It’s the right combination of skills, principles and dedication the 4th Congressional District needs. And it’s what Colorado’s Republican Party needs now more than ever.

We urge a vote for Deborah Flora for Congress in the June 25 Republican primary.