Victor Marx (R) defeated Scott Bottoms (R), Barbara Kirkmeyer (R), and Kelvin Wimberly (write-in) in the Republican primary for governor of Colorado on June 30, 2026. Incumbent Gov. Jared Polis (D) was term-limited. Bottoms, Kirkmeyer, and Marx led in fundraising and media attention.
Axios Denver's John Frank wrote that the candidates were ideologically divided. Frank described Kirkmeyer as moderate and said that Bottoms and Marx were running to her right.
According to The Denver Post's Editorial Board, the differences in ideology meant that "Bottoms and Marx will have to convince moderate voters that they understand how Colorado's government works and can govern on these bread-and-butter issues. Kirkmeyer will have to convince voters she isn't part of the existing establishment that, for too many years, has accepted the status quo in Colorado."
