Colorado Public Radio has a piece this morning on a problem Colorado Republicans have been nurturing for years: they cannot agree on what kind of party they are, and Victor Marx’s gubernatorial nomination has dragged that disagreement out into the daylight. Marx won the June GOP primary over state Rep. Scott Bottoms and state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, surprising parts of the Republican establishment and leaving prominent Republicans openly questioning what comes next. (cpr.org)
CPR’s reporting paints a party split between Republicans willing to rally behind the nominee, Republicans who see Marx as outside the Colorado mainstream, and others who say the whole argument misses the point because they still have not heard enough substantive answers on problems such as affordability and the state budget. Meanwhile, Republicans remain a deep minority at the Capitol and have not won a statewide race in a decade. Nothing says “ready to govern” quite like spending your time arguing over who gets to hold the fire extinguisher while the kitchen burns.
The Bullet Point Brief
- Victor Marx won the Republican nomination for governor, and the family reunion immediately became a custody hearing. Former Republican legislative leader Norma Anderson changed her registration to Unaffiliated after Marx’s victory, while former state GOP chairman Dick Wadhams says he will not vote for him. That is not exactly the unity photo you put on the Christmas card.
- Marx’s supporters argue that his unconventional background and connection with voters are strengths. Conservative activist Jeff Hunt says winning is what ultimately rebuilds trust among donors, activists and the grassroots. Fair enough. Winning does tend to cure political illnesses. Colorado Republicans might consider trying it sometime.
- Some Republican critics are asking a much less glamorous question: What is the plan? Montrose County Commissioner Sean Pond told CPR he wanted substantive answers from Marx on Colorado’s affordability crisis and budget deficit and did not get them. That is the irritating thing about governing. Eventually somebody asks what you intend to do after the applause stops.
- Other Republicans are choosing the jersey. Garfield County Commissioner Perry Will says he is a Republican and intends to support Republicans, while Lauren Boebert is calling for unity behind Marx. Meanwhile, other elected Republicans are keeping their eyes firmly on their own races. Political translation: everybody has discovered a slightly different definition of “team.”
- The stakes run well beyond one candidate. CPR notes that every statewide seat is open this November, Republicans face important congressional contests, and some in the party fear trouble at the top of the ticket could bleed into races below it. A circular firing squad is entertaining right up until somebody remembers ballots have other names on them.
My Bottom Line
Victor Marx did not invent the Colorado Republican Party’s identity crisis. According to CPR, he walked into one that was already fully furnished. Republicans have spent years mistrusting one another, fighting over party leadership and arguing about what being a Republican even means. Marx’s nomination simply made it harder to pretend those arguments were harmless background noise.
And this is where Republican leaders, activists and insiders need to own the mess. You do not get to spend election after election treating the party’s direction as somebody else’s problem and then act astonished when primary voters make the decision for you. If you want a serious statewide party, build one. Recruit candidates. Develop policy. Persuade voters. Earn trust. The alternative is another convention, another grievance, another purity test and another concession speech.
Colorado desperately needs an effective opposition party. Not because Republicans deserve offices with nicer furniture, but because one-party dominance is a lousy substitute for accountability. Families dealing with affordability, businesses dealing with regulation and taxpayers watching state government stumble from one expensive idea to the next deserve an opposition capable of making a coherent case and then actually winning elections.
Republicans can spend the fall deciding whether Victor Marx is the savior, the problem or merely the latest battlefield in an argument they should have settled years ago. Or they can finally figure out what they stand for and make the case to Colorado. Because every minute Republicans spend shooting inward is another minute the people running this state get to operate without serious competition, looking increasingly expensive, increasingly dysfunctional and remarkably pleased with themselves.
Source: Colorado Public Radio
Now It's Your Turn...