This story by Sara Wilson appeared on Colorado Newsline on July 1, 2026.
State Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer’s lead over Victor Marx in the Republican gubernatorial primary in Colorado vanished Wednesday as Marx for the first time since Tuesday’s election inched ahead, according to the Secretary of State’s office.
Kirkmeyer, a Weld County Republican, started with a lead that decreased throughout the day as ballots continued to be counted.
As of 8:45pm, Marx had 39.87% of the vote, Kirkmeyer had 39.42%.
A third candidate in the race, state Rep. Scott Bottoms, had about 20.71%. In the results so far, Kirkmeyer won counties in the Denver metro area and northern part of the state, while Marx carried the southern and western areas.
Earlier on Wednesday, Kirkmeyer posted an appeal to volunteers to help cure ballots. If a person has a signature discrepancy with their ballot, for example, they will have an opportunity to fix it so it gets counted.
Campaigns in close races often contact those affected voters.
Whoever wins the Republican primary will face Democrat Phil Weiser in November for the governor’s seat. Weiser is currently Colorado’s Attorney General.
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 8:46pm, 2026, to reflect that Marx had pulled ahead of Kirkmeyer.
Colorado Newsline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Colorado Newsline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Quentin Young for questions: info@coloradonewsline.com.