Victor Marx has added George Markert to the Republican ticket for governor, naming the retired Marine colonel and former U.S. Senate candidate as his choice for lieutenant governor. Colorado Politics reports that Marx praised Markert’s character, leadership and lifetime of service, while Markert described the job as another opportunity to serve.
That is all respectable. It is also the political equivalent of putting a second name on the yard sign. Markert’s military career and outsider credentials may help Marx make the case that this ticket was not assembled in a Denver conference room by consultants armed with polling tabs and a fresh box of buzzwords. But Colorado voters need more than two honorable biographies and a Friday-morning radio announcement.
Marx is running against Democratic Attorney General Phil Weiser and independent candidate Greg Lopez. Weiser enters the race with the title, the statewide network and the full machinery of Colorado’s ruling political class humming behind him. Respectability gets Marx and Markert through the door. A serious plan for fixing the state is what keeps them in the room.
The Bullet Point Brief
- Marx says Markert brings “exceptional character, proven leadership and a lifetime of serving others.” Good. Colorado could use public officials whose résumés involve actual service instead of nonprofit networking and professional headshots.
- Markert served three decades in the Marine Corps and previously sought the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate. He did not make the primary ballot, but apparently somebody finally found a race where the paperwork worked out.
- Marx framed the ticket as a pair of problem-solvers ready to fix what is broken and confront the establishment. That sounds promising, provided “fix what is broken” eventually becomes something more detailed than a radio slogan.
- Markert argued that Colorado has fallen badly in quality-of-life rankings because of poor leadership. He may be right, but voters are going to expect receipts, priorities and a wrench, not just a diagnosis delivered with good posture.
- Colorado Democrats immediately called the pick “toxic,” because no modern campaign announcement is complete until somebody issues a statement declaring the republic moments from collapse. The sun rose anyway.
My Bottom Line
George Markert appears to bring real service, real discipline and a life story that was not cooked up by a campaign branding firm. That matters. Character is not nothing, especially in a political culture where too many people confuse ambition with leadership and a social-media following with public service.
But character is the cover charge. Colorado Republicans have spent years telling voters that Democrats have made the state more expensive, more centralized and more bureaucratic. Fine. Now tell people exactly what a Marx-Markert administration would do about it.
Which regulations get repealed? Which fees get cut? Which powers go back to counties, cities, school boards and families? Which agencies get audited? Which spending programs get measured against actual results instead of good intentions and glossy reports? Denver has been issuing mandates, fees and lectures like confetti. The answer cannot be two Marines standing at a microphone saying they have backbone.
Phil Weiser already has the statewide office, the Democratic apparatus and every advantage that comes with Colorado’s political ruling machine. Marx and Markert cannot beat that machine by merely seeming respectable. They need to make the election a referendum on competence, local control and accountability. Colorado voters do not need another ceremonial ticket. They need adults with a plan, a deadline and the willingness to tell the bureaucracy that the party is over.
Source: Colorado Politics
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