Colorado Republicans’ election of Victor Marx as their gubernatorial nominee was far from unanimous, and the ongoing debate over his fitness for office is hard to miss, both online and in the media. It is creating problems for local party officials, who, once elected, must abide by county and state party bylaws that require them to support their party’s nominee.
The presence of longtime Republican-turned-independent Greg Lopez as a prominent third candidate on the general election ballot has given GOP members disillusioned with their party’s nominee another conservative option.
This issue surfaced most clearly last week, at a breakfast meeting of the Denver GOP, which featured new state party Chair Craig Steiner. Video posted by Marx supporter Renee Suiter shows another attendee asking Steiner about the issue generally. After Steiner agreed that party leaders must either support their nominees or resign, she put a very specific example to him, the subject of whom, Denver GOP Vice Chair Hugo Chavez-Rey, was seated next to him:
Marx Supporter: But my bigger question is this: There’s been a problem with party unity. There have been people who are in positions of power in the GOP who are actively speaking up against Victor and supporting Greg Lopez. You know, Gunnison County did their Lincoln Day dinner and invited another candidate who is not on the GOP ballot to speak. There are other people here in Denver who are actively speaking out against Victor Marx as our duly elected primary candidate. What do you say to them?
Craig Steiner: The Republican Party is not just an activist group. It’s not a cult. It’s a political party. We have bylaws. And our purpose, as stated in the bylaws, is to elect Republican nominees. That’s our job. And if anyone that’s in the Republican Party with an official position is not doing that or is supporting a candidate that’s running against a Republican, they should resign.
Marx Supporter: Let me read this to you: ‘Greg has more integrity in his pinky than you and your boy-toy Victor have in your bloated bodies. And if you think for one second that you or Victor can intimidate them, you’re both dumber than you both look. Run along now, there’s more propaganda to distribute. Gotta earn that coin.’ Hugo, you wanna speak to that? You wrote it.
Hugo Chavez-Rey: I stand by it.
Craig Steiner: That is a problem Hugo, I mean the bylaws are very clear on what our purpose is.
Chavez-Rey’s preference for Lopez is no secret- he’s been openly critical of Marx and supportive of Lopez since last year, both in social posts and on his podcast, The Hispanic Patriot. Interestingly, Chavez-Rey interviewed Steiner for a full hour just last month, after Marx won the nomination. Their discussion covered numerous issues related to the Colorado Republican Party, but they never mentioned Marx or Lopez.
Neither Steiner nor Chavez-Rey responded to CTR’s emailed inquiries as to whether they discussed the issue further at the Aug. 7 Denver GOP meeting, or whether Chavez-Rey was asked or plans to resign. This article will be updated with any responses received.
Steiner isn’t the only GOP official to call for fellow party leaders to support Marx or quit. Jefferson County Chair Rich Wyatt gave an interview on KHOW last week in which he discussed the GOP gubernatorial primary debate hosted by 9News. After critiquing debate itself, he concluded by obliquely referencing Marx’s primary opponents, legislators Scott Bottoms and Barb Kirkmeyer.
“It was the worst debate I’ve ever seen in my life,” said Wyatt. “It was nothing but a hack job… and then we got two of them, I don’t even want to mention their names, that say, ‘I won’t support Victor Marx.’ Well, quit the party then! If you don’t want to be part of the party, get out.”
