Victor Marx, a Marine Corps veteran and founder of All Things Possible Ministries, will carry the Republican banner into the Colorado governor's race this November. Decision Desk HQ projected his victory Thursday night in the GOP primary, after a tight contest with state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer and state Rep. Scott Bottoms.
The primary, held June 30, remained too close to call for days as Marx and Kirkmeyer traded leads in early returns. DDHQ finally called the race Thursday, giving Marx the nod to take on state Attorney General Phil Weiser, a Democrat, in the general election to succeed outgoing Gov. Jared Polis.
Marx, in a three-minute video posted to social media, said he was "humbled" to be the party's pick. He reached out to voters beyond his base: "I want to speak to those who want a better future for Colorado. You may not agree with me on everything, and that's okay. But I believe we can agree on this: Colorado is not the way our founding fathers envisioned it 150 years ago."
The nominee's past has drawn scrutiny during the campaign. Marx has claimed that when he was seven years old, his stepfather forced him to kill a man. In a late May interview with 9News, he refused to say whether he had killed anyone as an adult, including in combat. "If I did, I wouldn't be telling a reporter sitting here in my training center," he told anchor Kyle Clark. Pressed on whether he would tell voters, Marx replied, "There's no need. I don't think that's important. It's actually kind of — it's an odd question to me."
His campaign has also faced questions about the accuracy of statements regarding how many women and children he has helped rescue through his ministry missions. The controversy has not deterred his base, but it has given Democrats ammunition for the general election.
Marx's victory is a blow to establishment Republicans, including Rep. Gabe Evans and former Gov. Bill Owens, who had backed Kirkmeyer. The primary exposed internal rifts within the Colorado GOP, mirroring national tensions between the party's mainstream and its more combative, outsider wing — a dynamic also playing out in other states, as seen in the Michigan GOP primary debate where personal attacks dominated.
Colorado's political landscape, however, remains decidedly blue. Weiser, a well-funded and widely known incumbent attorney general, starts as the heavy favorite. The state has trended Democratic in recent cycles, and national observers rate the governor's race as safe for the party. Marx will need to overcome not only Weiser's advantages but also the broader electoral math in a state where Democrats control the governorship and both chambers of the legislature.
The general election campaign will test whether Marx can broaden his appeal beyond the GOP primary electorate. His controversial statements and the questions surrounding his background could prove a liability in a state that has grown increasingly skeptical of hardline conservative candidates. Meanwhile, Weiser is expected to run on a platform of public safety, economic stability, and continuity with Polis's policies.
For now, Marx's win underscores the enduring pull of outsider candidates in Republican primaries, even in states where that strategy carries significant risk in November. The race will be closely watched as a bellwether for whether the GOP can compete in blue-trending Western states.
