July 06, 2026 11:56 AM UTC

It's Victor Marx Whether You Like It Or Not

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• by: Colorado Pols

As Westword’s Hannah Metzger reports, another epic hostile takeover within the Republican Party, this time at the state level in a microcosm of national events of the last decade, is on the verge of being consummated:

When Victor Marx decided to run for governor of Colorado, a Republican National Committee leader gave him some advice: “You have to unite the party,” Marx recalled during his election watch party on Tuesday, June 30.

“And I did. … Against me,” Marx quipped.

The GOP race is still too close to call. But as of Thursday night, Marx was leading by just over 2,000 votes, according to preliminary results from the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office. The controversial ministry leader and political newcomer has received 39.84% of the votes, compared to 39.44% for State Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer and 20.72% for State Rep. Scott Bottoms.

It’s the culmination of an ugly and absurd primary battle, during which the candidates have had to confront extreme parts of their politics, including Kirkmeyer’s past effort to make northern Colorado its own state and Bottoms’ baseless claim that pedophile rings are operating at the State Capitol. Marx’s many strange tales have attracted the most attention, however. The list includes claiming to kill a man at age 7, performing exorcisms over the phone, and allegedly exaggerating the impact of his humanitarian work.

Thelma Grimes reports almost apologetically for the GOP megadonor Phil Anschutz-owned Colorado Springs Gazette:

Kirkmeyer, one of three candidates, opened the night with a clear advantage, at one point leading Marx, a ministry leader, by about 8,000 votes. Scott Bottoms remained in third place.

By Thursday afternoon, Marx’s lead held steady. With less than 1 percentage point separating them, unofficial results show Marx secured 206,330 votes, while Kirkmeyer secured about 204,310 out of some 518,051 votes cast.

The race still remained too close to call.

As of this writing, the approximately 2,000-vote lead for serial fabulist “high-risk missionary” Victor Marx in this race sits just outside the margin that would require an automatic recount. Wednesday is the deadline for any remaining overseas and military ballots to be counted, as well as the deadline for the campaigns to “cure” ballots that weren’t counted due to discrepancies with the required signature or other resolvable issues. Assuming those ballots don’t change the margins meaningfully, Barb Kirkmeyer could request a recount at her campaign’s expense, but it’s extremely unlikely that a recount would find enough votes for Kirkmeyer to close this gap.

What does that mean, gentle readers? It means Victor Marx is the Republican nominee for governor.

After Republicans spent the last six months and more hyping Kirkmeyer as the state’s “moderate hope,” a description the former secessionist and devoted Trump cheerleader (photo right) earned only on the most generous of curves, corporate Republicans are faced with the worst-case scenario in Victor Marx, with the potential for collapse down the ballot that could greatly expand the collateral damage for the party beyond the governor’s race. In their editorial last Wednesday prematurely celebrating the victory that slipped away from Kirkmeyer, the Colorado Springs Gazette inversely summed up the dilemma:

Notably, Republican state Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer, whom The Gazette’s editorial board has endorsed, was winning by a slim margin over her two opponents with 88% of Republican primary ballots counted as of press time Tuesday evening…

If she is able to emerge as the GOP nominee, it also would represent an important stride for the Republican Party itself. It would signify the party, long sidelined, is back and ready to compete for hearts and minds on the issues that really matter to mainstream Coloradans — like inflation, jobs, taxes and public safety.

Bad news, guys. It appears the Colorado Republican Party chose not to make that “important stride” after all! They will as a result be in no position to “compete for hearts and minds on the issues that really matter.” Instead, Colorado Republicans are headed for one of the most bizarre and likely self-destructive campaign seasons since 2010, when the Republican nominee for governor Dan Maes collapsed so completely that it was necessary for ex-Congressman Tom Tancredo to run on a third-party ticket in order to give Republicans in this state some reason to turn out. Maes’ implosion, which took place after the GOP’s first choice Scott McInnis flamed out in a plagiarism scandal, helped Colorado Democrats mostly weather what was otherwise a wave year for the GOP.

This morning on AM talk radio with paleo shock-jock Peter Boyles, Republican electoral multi-loser George Braucher was somber about what Marx’s ascension means for the state party:

BRAUCHLER: In October, when he runs and nobody knows who he is, even though he has the endorsement of Congresswoman Boebert and Heidi Ganahl and all that. I think people are like, who is this guy? This guy can’t win. But I’m telling you, Pete, by the time they launch their fakie poll that costs signal most of its credibility in the state of Colorado with this 44 point advantage and that fundraising advantage, I don’t know anybody that was seriously saying I think Barb pulls this off. And I’m talking insiders that I rely upon for a lot of good guidance. Everybody was saying, I just don’t see how she does it. I don’t see how she comes close. This guy has spent so much money. And then for her to get that close, there’s something there. There’s a way this guy burned through his money that should give people concern. Because he should have been able to get that result for a lot less.

BOYLES: Apparently, according to people that I listen to, he was paying his family.

BRAUCHLER: If that’s true, that’s a bit scandalous. But that’s very Dan Maes. Do you remember that, from Dan Maes? Hiring his daughter to drive him around the state for tens of thousands of dollars.

BOYLES: No, we, it was, Tancredo and I, and.

BRAUCHLER: That’s right, that’s right.

BOYLES: No, we had a good time with that. That was a, that was great talk radio…

BRAUCHLER: I just don’t know, Pete. I worry about this quite a bit, because my greater concern is if Marx can’t somehow figure out a way to build up momentum and quickly in the state, that his performance will drag down the other races where we might have been able to win. An example of this is Michael Allen.

Michael Allen, for readers who don’t know, is the Republican nominee for Attorney General who bested a stronger-than-expected challenge from one of Tina Peters’ lawyers in last Tuesday’s primary. That’s the race DA Brauchler is naturally most concerned with, but Marx’s campaign poses a very serious risk to many more downballot Republicans if his campaign self-destructs to the extent it dampens Republican turnout in the general election. That was the only real reason for Republicans to invest in Kirkmeyer’s campaign, which also had no chance of success in November–but may still have propped up the Republican ticket enough to minimize the collateral damage. In 2010, Republicans at least had Tom Tancredo they could rally to as an alternative. In 2026, the analogue is a ridiculously unqualified candidate we are nonetheless obligated to note is technically a former member of Congress, Greg “I’ve Stopped Beating My Pregnant Wife” Lopez.

And so, in what was already setting up to be a horrible year for the Republican Party across the nation as voters turn out to express their historic displeasure with Donald Trump, in Colorado a would-be Trumpian usurper is set to plunge Colorado Republicans into an even deeper darkness than they have known up to now.

And that is justice, either poetic or just pathetic.