The field of Democrats vying to challenge U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner has winnowed since former Gov. John Hickenlooper entered the race last month, but a Denver businesswoman thinks there’s room for one more person in the primary: herself.

Denise Burgess, who serves on the board of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, is announcing her entry into the race Monday morning, taking the number of candidates back up to 10.

“Me running for U.S. Senate wasn’t about anyone else,” Burgess said when asked about the timing of her decision. “You don’t become a successful woman in construction by letting someone else determining your fate.”

Burgess is a second-generation Coloradan who worked with her father to grow the family’s heating and air conditioning business into a nationwide construction management firm, Burgess Services Inc. Her company has worked on the City and County of Denver Justice Center and the Westin Hotel at Denver International Airport.

“The reason that I’m running is because for the last year I have been wanting to hear the candidates talk about the issues, but all I’ve been hearing about who we need to beat,” Burgess said.

The race against Gardner is expected to be one of the most high-profile and contentious Senate races in the country in 2020. Gardner, a first-term senator, is the only Republican to win a Senate or gubernatorial race in Colorado since 2008, and his seat is seen as a critical part of national Democratic plans to overturn Mitch McConnell.

Burgess’ big issue, like that of many Democratic hopefuls, is health care. She told The Denver Post that as the mother of a millennial and the daughter of an aging parent, she’s acutely aware of all the different challenges people face in the health care system. Burgess supports a public option, but she opposes Medicare for All.

As for how she plans to secure a spot on the ballot in a crowded primary next year, Burgess said she plans to raise enough money to hire signature gathers to petition on. She knows that means convincing Coloradans to give her a few hundred thousand dollars.

“It’s business 101,” Burgess said. “If you want to start a company, you have to raise the money.”