Colorado: Ministry leader and former Marine Victor Marx has won the Republican primary for Colorado governor, according to NBC News projections, earning the GOP nomination for the 2026 general election.

Marx narrowly defeated Republican state Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer after a prolonged vote count following the June 30 primary. He secured 39.9% of the vote, while Kirkmeyer finished with 39.4%. State Rep. Scott Bottoms placed third in the Republican contest.

With the primary victory, Marx will face Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, who won the Democratic nomination after defeating U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet.

A former U.S. Marine, Marx is best known as the founder of All Things Possible Ministries, an evangelical organization that says it has carried out missions to rescue women and children from trafficking and conflict zones.

During the campaign, Marx also attracted national attention over comments about his past. He has long claimed that he was forced by an abusive stepfather to kill a man when he was seven years old. In a May interview, he suggested that he may have also killed people while defending himself overseas, though he did not provide specific details, and it remains unclear whether he was referring to his military service.

Marx's campaign highlights his difficult childhood, including experiences of abuse, and credits his time in the U.S. Marine Corps with transforming his life before launching his ministry.

The general election is expected to be challenging for Republicans. Colorado has not elected a Republican governor in more than two decades, making Democratic nominee Phil Weiser the early favorite to succeed term-limited Gov. Jared Polis.