It’s the extremes in Colorado’s primary results that are attracting attention both within the state and nationally, involving both parties.
At this writing, the Republican race for governor has not been called. By the narrowest of margins – about 2,000 votes out of more than 515,000 cast, less than half a percentage point – Victor Marx, a ministry leader and former Marine, leads two-term state Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer, with state Rep. Scott Bottoms in third.
Marx claimed that his lack of political experience was an asset and that there was no need to share his planned policies as governor before the primary. He cites his faith and describes himself as a humanitarian who, with his organizations, has aided people in this country and abroad, including in Iraq. Television personalities are enjoying his vague answers to whether he has ever killed anyone. Marx has said that, at age 7, his stepfather forced him to kill a man in Mississippi – a claim local law enforcement there has no record of.
Marx raised $2.8 million, mostly small-dollar contributions from more than 21,000 donors, outraising Kirkmeyer ($629,544) and Bottoms ($259,341) combined, per filings through June 28. He carried Montezuma County by 4% over second-place Bottoms.
Kirkmeyer, a five-term Weld County commissioner who between those stints served as acting director of the state Department of Local Affairs under Gov. Bill Owens, is currently a member of the influential state Joint Budget Committee. Weld County has grown and prospered through oil and natural gas extraction, agriculture and proximity to Denver, giving Kirkmeyer deep familiarity with significant issues.
Should Marx’s lead hold, Republicans will have chosen a blank slate, perhaps with promise, over deeply experienced legislative and county government leadership. They may also have been thumbing their noses at establishment politics – after all, it’s far easier to rail against government than to actually govern.
The Republican nominee will compete against Attorney General Phil Weiser, who campaigned aggressively across the state, including in its southwest corner, and cited his participation in 66 lawsuits against President Donald Trump’s actions. Weiser is best known for successfully matching local and regional leadership to effectively expend opioid settlement monies – more than $900 million secured from drug manufacturers and distributors.
Ever present and engaged, Weiser defeated early favorite Sen. Michael Bennet by nearly 12 points. Among Montezuma County’s Democrats, his margin was 18%.
In Montezuma County, incumbent 3rd Congressional District Rep. Jeff Hurd defeated Ron Hanks, 62-38, and Democrats voted 56-44 to continue John Hickenlooper as senator over state Sen. Julie Gonzales.
In county races, Republicans chose Rodney Cox, a fifth-generation county resident and longtime business owner, to succeed term-limited District 1 Commissioner Jim Candelaria, giving him 55% of the vote. He faced Bonnie Anderson, who led the county’s weed abatement program, and Diane Fox-Spratlen, formerly with the Cortez Police Department; the three took part in forums that clarified differences over growth, services and a proposed 1% county sales tax. They also split on the proposed Dolores River National Conservation Area: Anderson opposed it, while Cox and Fox-Spratlen supported it as an alternative to a potential Wild and Scenic River designation.
Cox faces Democrat Rebecca Busic, unopposed in her primary, in November.
For county clerk and recorder, Jerri Frizzell, with 16 years in the office and a campaign message of experience and continuity, had an easy time of it, winning 70-30 over Lenetta Shull, a business owner and former county Republican Party leader who ran on modernization, voter outreach and improved customer service.
As another extreme, 29-year-old former corporate lawyer Melat Kiros, a democratic socialist, defeated 15-term (!) Congresswoman Diana DeGette for the 1st Congressional District seat. Kiros campaigned on Medicare for All, abolishing ICE and aiding working people. She is also known for questioning Israel’s right to its land on the eastern end of the Mediterranean. Little known initially, support for Kiros' campaign apparently surged with democratic socialist primary wins in New York State.
The 1st Congressional District is Denver, not all of Colorado.
