Marine Corps Veteran Defeats Establishment Favorite In Primary Race

Marine Corps veteran Victor Marx has won the Republican primary for Colorado governor, defeating state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, the candidate backed by the establishment wing of the GOP. Marx’s victory was confirmed after the majority of counties, including the largest ones, submitted their final vote counts following the June 30 election.

The race was too close to call on election night. By July 9, Marx was posting video messages on social media thanking supporters and welcoming those who had not backed him to join his movement. “If you’re frustrated, skeptical, or wondering if anything can actually change,” he said, “I just proved it by winning the primary.”

Victor Marx’s Extraordinary Background

Marx is a deeply devout Christian and the founder of All Things Possible Ministries. His campaign website describes him as a “high-risk humanitarian” who has “led more than 150 high-stakes missions across some of the world’s most dangerous regions,” including a mission into ISIS-held territory to rescue kidnapped girls. He is also billed as the fastest gun disarmer on the planet.

Marx gained widespread national attention after a controversial interview in which he discussed a traumatic childhood incident, saying his abusive stepfather forced him to kill a man when he was just 7 years old. He went further during the interview, telling a reporter, “I’ve been in other situations where, possibly, people or persons died as a result of me defending myself in other countries.” When the reporter asked, “Do you think that you’ve killed people as an adult?” Marx replied, “Does it matter?” His campaign has suggested those comments refer to his military service. For more on the primary outcome, see Victor Marx Colorado governor race.

Kirkmeyer’s Concession and the Road to November

Defeated candidate Kirkmeyer issued a gracious statement thanking her supporters and volunteers. She closed with a pointed remark, writing, “I’m still proud of the campaign we ran, and, for the record, I still haven’t killed anyone.” A third candidate, state Rep. Scott Bottoms, finished behind both Marx and Kirkmeyer.

Marx now faces Democratic Attorney General Phil Weiser in the November general election. Weiser, who beat Sen. Michael Bennet in the Democratic primary while running a strongly anti-Trump campaign, previously served as dean of the University of Colorado Law School and has completed two consecutive terms as attorney general.

The path to victory will be steep for Marx. No Republican has held the Colorado governorship in more than 20 years, and the state backed Kamala Harris over Donald Trump by more than 10 points in the 2024 presidential election. Whether Marx’s outsider profile and military record can shift that calculus will be one of the more closely watched state races of the 2026 cycle.