A Pueblo woman is set to announce a run for Congress on Friday.

Barring an unexpected move by the Legislature to redraw districts, she will be challenging incumbent Republican Scott Tipton of Cortez.

Tisha Casida, 29, is not registered with a political party.

Casida took aim at Tipton in a Monday press release, labeling him a “moderate Republican.”

While in the state Legislature, Tipton had one of the most conservative voting records of any lawmaker.

“He supports a $24 million transit system for Aspen, where private-sector funding would be more appropriate. He promised no cuts to Medicare and then voted for cuts to Medicare,” Casida said.

Tipton voted for a Republican budget plan that would have turned Medicare into a voucher program for senior citizens to purchase private insurance. Republicans have now backed away from that plan.

Casida has had an exploratory committee and website since January. She will make a formal announcement Friday afternoon in Pueblo.

She runs a marketing business dedicated to sustainable food called That’s Natural! She also publishes a conservative newspaper called The Good American Post.

In 2010, Jake Segrest, an unaffiliated conservative candidate, took 2 percent of the vote in the 3rd Congressional District. Tipton won by just four points, but presumably his margin of victory would have been more comfortable if not for Segrest.

No Democrat has announced a run yet, but state House Minority Leader Sal Pace, D-Pueblo, is a likely candidate.