Victor Marx the Republican primary for Colorado governor

Marine Corps veteran Victor Marx won the Republican primary for Colorado governor on Thursday, inching past a state senator who had the establishment’s backing.

Marx, described as a “high risk humanitarian” and the fastest gun disarmer in the world, defeated Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, his stiffest competition, in the June 30 election. Too many votes remained outstanding after election night to call the tight race, but most counties, including the largest ones, have now reported their final results.

In a video posted to social media Thursday, Marx thanked his supporters and invited those who hadn’t voted for him to join his coalition.

“If you’re frustrated, skeptical, or wondering if anything can actually change,” he said, “I just proved it by winning the primary.”

Marx founded All Things Possible Ministries, and has said he’s “led more than 150 high-stakes missions across some of the world’s most dangerous regions.” That includes, according to his campaign website, a mission into “ISIS territory” to save a group of kidnapped girls.

He has also said his abusive stepfather effectively forced Marx, at 7 years old, to kill a man.

Kirkmeyer thanked her supporters and volunteers in a statement Thursday evening, signing off by saying, “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, trailed both Marx and Kirkmeyer.

Marx will face Democrat Phil Weiser, the state attorney general, in November, though the state has become an uphill battle for Republican candidates.

Colorado hasn’t elected a Republican as governor in more than two decades, and the state backed Democrat Kamala Harris for president by more than 10 points over Donald Trump in 2024.

Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, is term-limited.