With 19 Republicans running for the 2026 gubernatorial nomination, the candidates, many of whom are true MAGA patriots, will have to compete to set themselves apart from one another. And while GOP candidates like to quote Reagan’s so-called 11th Commandment, “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican,” in this crowded field, the reality is that another revised biblical mandate applies: “do unto others before they do unto you.”
And so it is that even now, nine months before the primary, the candidates have started fighting with each other to assert dominance, using culture war issues and tried and true Republican talking points on crime, the economy, and tax policy to narrow the field.
With the entrance of Colorado Springs ministry leader Victor Marx, Rep. Scott Bottoms (R-Colorado Springs), pastor of the Church at Briargate, is no longer the only “based Christian” candidate. Bottoms has built his reputation calling transgender people and the 1619 Project “demons,” sponsoring doomed anti-abortion legislation, and his efforts to stop the globalists from forcing Americans to eat bugs.
While Marx, the founder of All Things Possible Ministries, which says it works to help victims of abuse, military personnel, orphans, and widows in “high-threat environments,” has no legislative experience, his profile has risen in conservative Christian circles following the death of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. Marx has been endorsed by U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) and El Paso County Sheriff Bill Elder.
During an Sept. 26 interview on Ryan Schuiling Live, Bottoms took aim at establishment GOP favorite Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer (R-Weld County) over her vote on House Bill 24-1034, which requires courts to dismiss cases against defendants found mentally incompetent. The bill became a conservative talking point after charges were dropped against Solomon Galligan, who attempted to kidnap an elementary school student in 2024, due to his mental state.
“She voted for this bill and I don’t understand that every Senator that was present in the Republican Party, for this bill, voted for it,” said Bottoms. “I don’t know why you wouldn’t look under the hood, right? Don’t you owe that to your constituents? Don’t you see what these absolutely outlandish outcomes are and that they are a product of this really harebrained bill? Adult competency to stand trial going through and into law, this has gained national traction. Both Elon Musk noticed and called Jared Polis out on it. He freaked out. Laura Ingram talked about Solomon Galligan on her Fox News program. It’s embarrassing. It’s embarrassing that we live in a state that’s even crazier and kookier than the land of fruits and nuts- California.”
Bottoms isn’t the only Republican to critique the law. “I had been a cop for ten years, so I was familiar with a lot of the intricacies of this, which is why I voted no,” said U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans (R-CO) during an Oct. 1 appearing with Schuiling. Evans’ GOP colleagues in the state House split evenly over the bill, nine for and nine against, with one excused. “Because I knew it was not the fix that we needed, and it could potentially lead to situations like we just saw recently where a repeat violent individual was let out of jail and then got re-arrested two weeks later on a college campus with a gun. But the broader picture here is that this was billed as a solution to try to save money for Colorado because of how horrifyingly the Democrats have mismanaged mental health in this state.”
High-profile cases like Galligan’s are red meat for conservative voters, even though the data shows a decrease in crime in the state. Last month, Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade touted the decrease in crime during his State of the City address. “Property crime as a whole is down 16%, with motor vehicle theft down 41%, and vehicle break-ins down 32%,” he said. “We’re also seeing other encouraging trends in violent crime, homicides are down by 20%, and murders have dropped by nearly 30%.”
Kirkmeyer addressed the bill during a Sept. 30 appearance on the Mandy Connell show. “I did vote for that bill,” she admitted. “You’re right that it needs to be fixed. It did create a huge problem. We thought we were solving another issue that had to do with the deal with the Constitution, but in this case, we need to fix this bill. And I very frankly believe that the governor should call for a special session, that we should fix it sooner rather than later.”
