Victor Marx wins Republican Colorado governor primary

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Ministry leader Victor Marx has won the Republican primary for Colorado governor and will take on state Attorney General Phil Weiser (D) in the general election to succeed outgoing Gov. Jared Polis (D), according to Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ).

Marx defeated state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer and state Rep. Scott Bottoms for the GOP nomination. The primary was held on June 30, but DDHQ called the race on Thursday night given Marx initially remained neck and neck with Kirkmeyer.

The winner said he was “humbled” to be the GOP gubernatorial pick in a three-minute video posted to social media on Thursday.

“I want to speak to those who want a better future for Colorado,” he added, saying he was speaking to anyone regardless of party affiliation. “You may not agree with me on everything, and that’s OK. But I believe we can agree on this: Colorado is not the way our Founding Fathers envisioned it 150 years ago.”

Marx, a Marines Corps veteran who founded All Things Possible Ministries, raised eyebrows during the Colorado gubernatorial race over some of his past remarks, including for saying that his stepfather once forced him to kill a man when Marx was 7 years old.

The GOP candidate, in an interview with 9News in late May, could not say whether he had killed other people as an adult, including during combat.

“If I did, I wouldn’t be telling a reporter sitting here in my training center,” the candidate told 9News’s Kyle Clark at one point after some pressing.

“How about voters? Would you tell voters?” Clark asked.

“There’s no need. I don’t think that’s important. It’s actually kind of — it’s an odd question to me,” Marx responded.

He’s also faced questions around the accuracy of past statements made by his campaign about how many women and children he’s helped save through missions.

Marx’s win is a blow to establishment Republicans including Rep. Gabe Evans (Colo.) and former Gov. Bill Owens, who backed Kirkmeyer in the race.

Given Colorado’s blue political terrain, Weiser is likely to win the governor’s race in November.

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All Things Possible Ministries

Barbara Kirkmeyer

Bill Owens

Colorado

Colorado gubernatorial race

DDHQ

Gabe Evans

GOP gubernatorial primary

Jared Polis

Phil Weiser

Scott Bottoms

U.S. Marine Corps

veterans

Victor Marx

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