Victor Marx Wins Colorado Republican Gubernatorial Primary

Marine Corps veteran Victor Marx secured the Republican nomination for Colorado governor in a narrow victory over state Senator Barbara Kirkmeyer, with about 39.9% of the vote to Kirkmeyer's 39.4% and a margin of roughly 2,500 votes out of 522,000 cast. A third candidate, state Rep. Scott Bottoms, trailed far behind. Marx’s win marks the first time a Republican will contest the governorship in Colorado since 2002, and he will face Democrat Attorney General Phil Weiser in the November general election.

Marx led the GOP field in fundraising, raising roughly $2.8 million and entering the final campaign stretch with about $200,000 cash on hand, more than double his opponents' totals. His campaign attracted national attention due to controversial personal claims, including that he was forced to kill a man at age seven and that he called in an airstrike against ISIS fighters. Critics have questioned these statements, but Marx reiterated his outsider stance, thanking supporters with a statement: “Thank you, Colorado. Because of you… we just won the Republican nomination for Governor.”