Victor Marx Wins Colorado Republican Gubernatorial Primary

Marine veteran and nonprofit leader Victor Marx won the Republican primary for Governor of Colorado, as officially called by the Associated Press on July 10, 2026. Marx secured 39.9% of the vote, narrowly defeating State Senator Barbara Kirkmeyer, who received 39.4%, and State Representative Scott Bottoms, who finished third with 20.8%. Marx won by a margin of approximately 2,516 votes, narrowly avoiding a mandatory recount by remaining above the state's 0.5% threshold.

A first-time candidate and founder of All Things Possible Ministries, Marx ran as a political outsider. His victory was marked by significant controversy over eccentric personal claims, including that he hunts demons and was forced to kill a man at age seven. Rival candidates Kirkmeyer and Bottoms labeled him a "fraud" and a "con man," with Bottoms stating he could not in good conscience support the candidacy.

Marx will face Democratic nominee and Attorney General Phil Weiser, as well as Libertarian candidate Eric Mulder, in the November general election to succeed term-limited Governor Jared Polis. Marx's platform focuses on public safety, affordability, and a pledge to reduce state spending by 10% through agency audits. Weiser has criticized Marx's style as being "out of step with Coloradans," framing the upcoming race as a choice between stable governing and a politics of "deception, demonization, and distraction."