Fresh off a victory in a Democratic gubernatorial primary in which he campaigned on universal health care, U.S. Rep. Jared Polis tapped a cancer foundation executive and former state lawmaker to be his running mate.

The move doubles down on his pledge to make health care a top issue in Colorado’s upcoming general election.

In a Monday interview with The Associated Press, Polis announced that Dianne Primavera, the CEO of Susan G. Komen Colorado, will be his lieutenant governor if he’s elected in the fall, calling her a “governing partner” who would help him deliver on his ambitious policy proposals.

Primavera, 68, is a four-time cancer survivor who served eight years in the state House, representing a suburban Denver district. A mother of two, Primavera was first diagnosed at age 38 — and initially was told she had five years to live.

“That first year I went through all my treatments, I lost my job; I lost my health care; my marriage fell apart,” Primavera said in an interview. “I really have walked in the shoes of many people who struggle.”

Polis’ pick vaults health care to the forefront of a campaign that’s expected to run the gamut from local issues such as roads, schools and housing costs, as well as national politics in a year that Democrats hope to harness an electoral backlash against President Donald Trump.

The congressman from Boulder ran to the left on health care in the Democratic primary, championing a universal, single-payer system similar to Medicare. But while the purple state for years has been trending blue thanks to demographic shifts, it’s not clear if Colorado’s voters are willing to embrace such a dramatic leftward shift on health care.

Colorado hasn’t elected a Republican governor since 2002 and Trump lost to Hillary Clinton here by a wide margin.

Until this year, Colorado Democrats have typically offered moderates for statewide office, believing them to be more electable in a state that retains a fiercely conservative streak on taxes and public spending. In 2016, Colorado voters rejected in a landslide a ballot measure that would have established the nation’s first single-payer health system, funded by a 10 percent payroll tax.

Polis’ idea is different — he wants to partner with other Western states to create a regional single payer health care program similar to Medicare. He wants to lure more private insurance plans to the state’s health care exchange to drive down costs on the individual market.

He said Primavera was ideally suited to work on the issue, with her experience advocating for patients at Komen Colorado and as a former chair of a legislative health care committee.

“Our goal is not just to offer bold ideas about how to reduce costs and expand coverage, but with Dianne Primavera, to be able to get it done,” he said.

Polis said he chose Primavera — who has never run for statewide office — from six finalists, but he did not name the other five. He secured the party’s nomination June 26, topping a crowded primary field that included the sitting lieutenant governor, a former state treasurer and a state senator.

On the Republican side, a spokesman for state Treasurer Walker Stapleton’s gubernatorial campaign on Monday said he would not be immediately announcing a running mate.

Candidates have until Tuesday to offer someone the lieutenant governor position, and that person then has 30 days to decide whether to accept the job.

Denver Post reporter Jesse Paul contributed to this report.