Republican Colorado gubernatorial nominee Victor Marx, a Marine veteran, has selected a fellow Marine colonel as his running mate as he warns of what he calls a rising democratic socialist movement in Colorado and across the United States. Marx argues that combating this trend requires the "steely spines" of military-trained leadership, framing socialism as, in his words, merely "a transitionary word for communism."

Marx made the comments in an interview with Fox News Digital after securing the Republican nomination for Colorado governor. He said no socialist programme has ever succeeded and positioned his all-Marine ticket as a direct response to socialist-leaning candidates gaining traction in races nationwide, though the article does not name the running mate or provide further detail on the pairing.