Victor Marx won Colorado’s Republican primary for governor in one of the state’s closest contests ever, emerging victorious Thursday over a week after ballots were cast on June 30. The unconventional candidate, a Marine Corps veteran and ministry leader, narrowly defeated state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer by roughly 2,500 votes with 39.9 percent of the vote to Kirkmeyer’s 39.4 percent. State Rep. Scott Bottoms finished a distant third with about 21 percent of the vote.
The margin was wide enough to avoid a mandatory recount under Colorado law, but the protracted counting process extended the drama of what appeared to be the closest Republican gubernatorial primary in Colorado history. Kirkmeyer led on election night, but Marx took the lead Wednesday evening as county clerk offices continued tallying outstanding ballots, mail-in votes, and cured ballots. Once Marx pulled ahead, he never relinquished it, expanding his advantage to surpass the recount threshold by Thursday afternoon when the Associated Press called the race.
Marx now advances to face Democrat Phil Weiser in November’s general election. Weiser, the state’s attorney general, won the Democratic primary in an upset victory against U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet. The winner will succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Jared Polis. The general election in November presents a considerably different landscape than the Republican primary. Colorado voters have not elected a Republican governor in more than two decades, with the last GOP candidate for governor losing by nearly 20 percentage points in 2022.
Marx’s primary victory was fueled by a substantial fundraising advantage and a massive social media following. The 61-year-old candidate raised approximately $2.8 million, more than Kirkmeyer’s and Bottoms’s campaigns combined. He boasts roughly 3 million social media followers across platforms, which he leveraged to communicate directly with voters and largely bypass campaign norms like debate participation. Marx skipped numerous debates and forums during the campaign, choosing instead to hold a counter-rally rather than attend one scheduled debate after a moderator requested he provide evidence for some of his claims.
His campaign emphasized personality over policy, selling Republican primary voters on his leadership style rather than detailed plans for governance. Marx pitched himself as an outsider with no political experience who could challenge Colorado’s establishment. He focused his message on themes of safety, affordability, and restoring trust in government, criticizing the current system for making Colorado more expensive, less safe, and harder for families to trust.
Marx’s background and controversial claims drew significant attention throughout the race. He has claimed that his abusive stepfather forced him to kill a man when he was just 7 years old in Mississippi, though local law enforcement reported having no record of any unsolved homicides from that period. During a widely-discussed interview with local news station 9News, Marx refused to answer directly how many people he has killed, saying he was unsure of the exact number and that clarifying the matter was unimportant.
As the founder of All Things Possible Ministries, Marx describes himself as a “high-risk humanitarian” engaged in rescue operations around the world. He claims his nonprofit has delivered aid and rescued women and children from trafficking and violence in dangerous regions, including a mission he said involved rescuing girls from Islamic State territory. However, he declined to provide specific details about the organization’s operations and has been evasive when questioned about his claims.
Despite these controversies, Marx’s appeal resonated with grassroots conservative voters who embraced his MAGA-aligned messaging and anti-establishment positioning. He drew support from prominent conservative figures, including U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, who introduced him as a “dangerous gentleman” at his campaign launch event, borrowing the title of his 2024 memoir.
His opponents were far less enthusiastic. Kirkmeyer, 67, positioned herself as the establishment favorite with governing experience in former Gov. Bill Owens’s administration and six years as a state lawmaker. She won endorsements from Owens, U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans, and major newspapers, but struggled to match Marx’s fundraising and momentum. Kirkmeyer said during debate that she believes Marx is unfit to be governor and “would be a disaster for our state.” Bottoms, an evangelical pastor and state representative, called Marx a “con man” and said he could not endorse him if Marx secured the nomination.
Neither Kirkmeyer nor Bottoms offered their support to Marx after his victory. Kirkmeyer issued a statement acknowledging the loss and the race’s remarkable closeness, but did not endorse the nominee. She added sardonically that she remained proud of her campaign “and, for the record, I still haven’t killed anyone.”
Weiser quickly responded to Marx’s nomination, calling it “a threat to our state’s values and our future” and arguing that Marx’s views and style are far out of step with Coloradans. The Democratic nominee noted that governing is serious business and contrasted a politics of showing up and listening with one of deception and demonization.
Marx will face significant headwinds in November. Republicans have not won a statewide race in Colorado since 2016. The state’s large population of unaffiliated voters, who make up roughly half the electorate and traditionally determine outcomes in Colorado, will be critical. Political observers noted that Marx’s primary victory with 40 percent of the vote, while impressive in a three-way race, does not necessarily translate to general election success in a state that favored Democrat Kamala Harris by more than 10 points in 2024.