In First Gov Debate, Lopez Shows He’s Still In Lockstep With Trump

Republican Victor Marx Hides From Hard Questions

DENVER - In tonight's first televised General Election debate for governor, gubernatorial candidate Greg Lopez reminded voters who he really is: a hardline conservative who would never stand up to Donald Trump to protect Colorado.

Lopezrefused to say he would have stood up to Trump whenhe targeted Colorado over our gold-standard vote-by-mail system andTina Peters' imprisonment for committing felonies to prove Trump's election conspiracies.

In the debate, Lopez also firmly supported far-right ballot proposals such as forced gender inspections for schoolchildren, protecting tax breaks for the wealthy, and an initiative that would allow corporate polluters to endanger Coloradans' basic health and safety. Lopez opposed common-sense gun safety laws, asking, "Why would we need to take a class to exercise our Second Amendment rights? "

Lopez repeatedly tried to run from his hardline conservative record by leaning on his unaffiliated status - but during his six-month stint in a Republican-led Congress in 2024, Lopez voted with his party 94% of the time, breaking with Republicans to vote with the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus.

"Tonight's debate made the choice for voters in November abundantly clear: Phil Weiser has a real plan for Colorado and is ready to lead us into the future. Longshot Greg Lopez showed voters he's in lockstep with Trump's agenda - and reckless Republican extremist Victor Marx was nowhere to be found," said Kailee Stiles, spokesperson for the Colorado Democratic Party. "Coloradans deserve a governor with vision and experience - not candidates pushing MAGA conspiracies and bizarre falsehoods."

In his many campaigns, Greg Lopez has been unable to outrun a litany of personal issues, including his $15,000 settlement with the US Attorney's Office forimproperly attempting to influence public servantsat the Colorado Small Business Administration office shortly after he abruptly left his role as director.

Republican Victor Marx refused to appear at tonight's debate, after weeks of bluster and a ludicrous proposal for an "unmoderated debate" between him and Weiser that was soundly rejected by local journalists. Marx's campaign also recently insisted a local anchor who has reported extensively on Marx's controversies be removed from moderating an upcoming gubernatorial forum. Marx only participated in one "off-the-rails" televised debate late in the primary.

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