OPINION: Victor Marx Closes Campaign Gracefully

By Roger D. Hudson

Victor Marx, the Republican nominee for governor of Colorado, conceded tonight to Governor-elect Phil Weiser. He called Weiser to congratulate him and closed a long-fought campaign by thanking God, his wife Eileen, and the volunteers, donors and Coloradans who stood with him.

“Tonight I want to start where I start every day, by thanking God,” Marx said. “I entered this race asking Him for the strength to serve and the humility to accept whatever came. He answered both prayers. My faith was never on the ballot, and it is not shaken tonight.”

“Thank you to everyone who stood with this campaign. We ran on a simple promise: a lower cost of living, safer communities, and a government that lives within its means. Colorado voters have made their choice tonight, and I respect it.”

Marx said he called Weiser personally.

“I have called Governor-elect Weiser to congratulate him and to wish him well, because Colorado’s future matters more than any one campaign,” Marx said. “Phil and I disagree on a great deal, and we said so plainly. But I will pray for him, and I want him to succeed, because when Colorado’s governor succeeds, Colorado’s families succeed.”

Marx gave special thanks to his family.

“To my wife, Eileen: you walked every mile of this road beside me, through the long days and the hard headlines, with a grace I can never repay. You are the best decision I ever made. To our children and our whole family, thank you for sharing me with Colorado this year. I’m coming home.”

He also thanked his running mate, George Markert, and the Markert family for “answering the call to serve when it would have been easier to stay home.”

Marx thanked the people who carried the campaign.

“To our volunteers, who knocked doors in the heat and the cold, made calls after long shifts at work, and drove from the Eastern Plains to the Western Slope: you gave this race everything, and I will never stop being grateful,” Marx said. “To every donor, whether you gave five dollars or fifty, every gift was an act of faith in this state, and I do not take a single one for granted.”

Marx talked about character and what comes next.

“I am not a perfect man, and this was not a perfect campaign. But it was fought for the right reasons, with a full heart, and I tried every day to run it the way I have tried to live my life: tell the truth, keep your word, and treat people with dignity, especially the ones who disagree with you,” Marx said.

“The needs that brought Coloradans to this campaign have not changed, and neither has my commitment to this state. To every Coloradan who still believes in a better, safer, more accountable Colorado, do not lose heart. Keep showing up at your school board, your city council, your church and your neighbor’s front porch. That is where Colorado gets better. Thank you for the honor of this fight. God bless you, and God bless Colorado.”

Lieutenant governor nominee George Markert said serving beside Marx was a privilege.

“In uniform, you learn that character shows most when the mission doesn’t go your way. Tonight Victor showed Colorado exactly who he is,” Markert said. “Elections decide who governs. They do not change the bills on a family’s kitchen table. Tomorrow every Coloradan, whether Republican, Democrat or unaffiliated, still deserves lower costs, safer neighborhoods and a government that answers to them. I am proud to have stood with Victor, and grateful to every veteran, volunteer and neighbor who stood with us. Campaigns end. Causes worth fighting for do not.”