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DENVER, COLORADO — Feb. 20, 2026: Republican gubernatorial campaigner Victor Marx speaks to a radical astatine a edifice successful downtown Denver, Colorado, connected Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (Jesse Paul, The Colorado Sun)
ELECTION 2026
Ministry person Victor Marx took the pb implicit authorities Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer connected Wednesday evening successful Colorado’s Republican superior for governor.
Marx had 39.9% of the ballot to Kirkmeyer’s 39.5% of the ballot astatine 5 p.m. They were separated by less than 2,000 votes.
State Rep. Scott Bottoms was successful a distant 3rd with 21% of the vote.
The contention betwixt Kirkmeyer and Marx for a accidental to go the state’s archetypal Republican person successful 20 years remains excessively adjacent to call. Kirkmeyer was starring Marx connected Tuesday night by a fewer 1000 votes.
It whitethorn beryllium respective much days earlier it becomes wide who won the race. The pb whitethorn ping-pong betwixt Kirkmeyer and Marx until it’s decided.
State Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer speaks during a gubernatorial statement against State Rep. Scott Bottoms astatine Denver7 connected May 14, 2026. (McKenzie Lange, CPR News, via the Colorado Capitol News Alliance)Whoever yet wins the superior will look Democratic Attorney General Phil Weiser successful November. Republicans haven’t won a statewide contention successful Colorado since 2016, and the past GOP campaigner for politician lost by astir 20 percent points successful 2022.
Bill Owens was Colorado’s past Republican governor, serving from 1999 to 2007.
Whoever wins the governor’s contention successful November volition regenerate term-limited Gov. Jared Polis aboriginal adjacent year.
Kirkmeyer was the constitution favourite to triumph the Republican primary, winning endorsements from Owens, U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans and The Gazette paper successful Colorado Springs. But she struggled to fundraise and lucifer Marx’s momentum.
Marx, a Marine seasoned and ministry person who lives conscionable northbound of Colorado Springs, utilized his nationalist societal media pursuing and extraordinary, albeit mostly unprovable, beingness communicative to substance his campaign.
Type of Story: News
Based connected facts, either observed and verified straight by the reporter, oregon reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Jesse Paul is simply a Denver-based governmental newsman and exertion astatine The Colorado Sun, covering the authorities legislature, Congress and section politics. He is the writer of The Unaffiliated newsletter and besides occasionally fills successful connected breaking quality coverage. A Colorado College graduate, Jesse worked astatine The Denver Post from June 2014 until July 2018, when... More by Jesse Paul
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