Where Phil Weiser and Victor Marx stand on the issues
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, a Democrat, is running against Republican Victor Marx, a ministry leader who is running for public office for the first time, in Colorado’s gubernatorial race this year.
The winner of the Nov. 3 election will replace term-limited Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, who leaves office early next year after leading the state since early 2019.
Weiser, 58, was first elected attorney general in 2018. Before that, he was dean of the University of Colorado Law School. He also worked in President Barack Obama’s Justice Department and helped found Silicon Flatirons, a Boulder-based initiative that aims to fill the gap between entrepreneurs and their legal needs. He lives in Denver.
Marx, 61, lives in Colorado Springs, where he runs the All Things Possible Ministries, a Christian nonprofit that works to help women and children escape exploitation and violence. He’s a former U.S. Marine who previously worked for Focus on the Family and was a martial arts trainer.
Also on Colorado’s ballot for governor this year: American Constitution Party candidate Stephen T. Hamilton; Libertarian Party candidate Eric Mulder; Unity Party candidate Jeff Peckman; Approval Voting Party candidate Erik Underwood; and unaffiliated candidate Greg Lopez.
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MEDICAID
Medicaid spending is outpacing projections in Colorado and that has led to a state budget crisis. What, if anything, would you cut from the healthcare program for low-income and disabled Coloradans to make Medicaid spending more sustainable?
Phil Weiser
DEMOCRAT
“It is clear that our state has managed our Medicaid program poorly, with far more payments in areas that are warranted and appropriate.” Weiser said he plans to look to Colorado’s Medicaid Commission, which was created by the legislature and has been meeting for months, to make recommendations on how to change the program. “When you talk about Medicaid spending, you’re talking about people’s lives, and we need to make these decisions carefully, thoughtfully.”
Victor Marx
REPUBLICAN
Marx said he needs to audit the agency before deciding where to make cuts. “We’ll cut waste, improper payments, administrative inefficiencies and unsustainable cost growth,” he said, without naming any specifics. His guiding principles when it comes to evaluating Medicaid would be “protect the vulnerable, protect frontline providers.”
STATE SPENDING
Colorado voters may choose in November to impose a graduated income tax system and grow state revenue by billions of dollars each year. Should Medicaid services be cut even if that ballot measure passes?
Phil Weiser
DEMOCRAT
“To the extent there are savings and our Medicaid spending is not proceeding in a rational or appropriate fashion, we need to fix it — regardless of what type of funds we have available.”
Victor Marx
REPUBLICAN
Marx said he doesn’t think the ballot measure, Amendment 87, will pass. But he said more state revenue “shouldn’t be an excuse to stop demanding accountability.”
REGULATIONS
Both of you have complained that regulations have made Colorado too tough a place for businesses to operate in. What are three specific state regulations you’d change or eliminate to improve the business environment?
Phil Weiser
DEMOCRAT
“I don’t have three specific regulations that I am going to put front and center.” But Weiser said he wants to create an outcomes assessment for past legislation to determine whether existing regulations are working as intended. For new bills, he plans to meet with anyone affected to make sure there’s not a better policy path. And finally, he wants to make sure any new regulations are as targeted as possible and drafted after looking at how other states have handled similar rules.
Victor Marx
REPUBLICAN
Marx said he wants to audit all state regulations, but that he’s particularly concerned with the regulations in place for occupational licensing, construction permitting and hiring. “I want a line-by-line review of state labor mandates and paperwork that unnecessarily raise the cost of hiring, particularly for small businesses.”
OIL AND GAS
Fast forward to 2035 and what would be the end of your second term as governor: Is the oil and gas industry still drilling new wells in Colorado?
Phil Weiser
DEMOCRAT
Maybe. “When a new well is put into commission in Colorado, generally speaking, multiple old wells are being taken out of commission because the technology has changed. If you can remove old wells in a way in which you’re cleaner, more efficient, more quiet, with less disturbance, that’s a net plus. So I can’t rule out new wells given that the reality is new wells can actually put the industry on better footing and can be better from a standpoint of protecting the adjacent communities.”
Victor Marx
REPUBLICAN
Yes. “If I’m governor, I’m opening up all forms of energy. We’re going to make sure they meet appropriate health and environmental standards, but I just don’t believe Colorado should shut down responsible domestic energy production and then import energy from somewhere else. I’m convinced we can protect our air and water and communities, and produce Colorado energy at the same time.”
WATER
Does Colorado have a responsibility to reduce its water use to help manage the Colorado River for lower-basin states?
Phil Weiser
DEMOCRAT
Weiser said Colorado has a responsibility to use its existing water better. “That includes xeriscaping lawns. That includes considering how we can support farmers to choose what crops they plant in a way that involves less water. Also, we can put solar panels over reservoirs and reduce evaporation loss by 40%.”
Victor Marx
REPUBLICAN
“We absolutely have a responsibility to be a good partner, meet our obligations and meet the Colorado River Compact. But it doesn’t mean that we’re simply going to surrender water to compensate for overuse for the lower basin.”
FRONT RANGE RAIL
Will you be voting “yes” on the ballot measure that would increase the sales tax rate in many Front Range communities to pay for a passenger rail system? (Mr. Marx, we understand this may not be on your ballot as a resident of unincorporated El Paso County, but if it was, how would you vote on it?)
Phil Weiser
DEMOCRAT
Weiser said he hasn’t made up his mind on how he’ll vote. “I’m trying to make sure how and why do we need to raise more money now given that there has been a bit of money raised.” He’s also concerned about how the question erroneously ended up on hundreds of thousands of voters’ ballots who don’t live in the train’s taxing district.
Victor Marx
REPUBLICAN
Marx didn’t directly answer, saying he wanted to get more information on the financing and ridership plans for the rail line. “The proposal is asking us to approve another sales tax (increase) when things aren’t affordable already.”
HOUSING
Lawmakers have passed a number of bills in recent years to spur housing construction, but there are now less than half as many new housing permits issued as in 2021. How will you bring down housing costs at a time when high interest rates and construction price tags are making the state’s supply shortage worse?
Phil Weiser
DEMOCRAT
Weiser wants to boost the construction workforce by creating more pipelines for people to enter the plumbing and electrical trades, and he wants to reduce permitting fees and wait times to make it easier for starter homes to be built in Colorado. “I also believe we can and should lean into innovation, like modular housing.”
Victor Marx
REPUBLICAN
While the state can’t control interest rates, Marx said “government’s got to stop making every new home more expensive to build.” He didn’t offer specifics, but added that “I’m pro working with local communities rather than pretending like Denver knows the right zoning decision for every town in Colorado.” (Editor’s note: That appeared to be a reference to zoning edicts from the legislature.)
HOUSING PART 2
The Colorado legislature rejected a bill last year that would have overridden local zoning rules to let single-family homes be built on smaller lots in most cities. Do you support that idea to boost the state’s housing inventory?
Phil Weiser
DEMOCRAT
“There’s a reason that bill didn’t pass. I’d like to consider another option. What if the state passed a default measure that would call for rationalizing of zoning. I want to try to work with local governments to come up with solutions that they don’t see as antithetical to local control but that move the ball forward.”
Victor Marx
REPUBLICAN
Marx didn’t directly answer, but said he’s in favor of local decision making when it comes to housing and zoning policy. “I’d rather give the local government some incentives to remove unnecessary barriers, speed up permitting.”
GOVERNING STYLE
Gov. Jared Polis had a heavy hand in the legislative process. Do you think you’ll be more or less involved than he was? Or about the same?
Phil Weiser
DEMOCRAT
“I will take an approach that’s different from Jared Polis in that I’m going to work hard to be a collaborator.” He said that means finding ways to work with legislators but also being up front with them when he opposes a bill so that they’re not surprised if he ultimately vetoes it.
Victor Marx
REPUBLICAN
“I’d say I’m going to be more involved because I want to make sure that the people of Colorado know what’s trying to be passed.”
COLORADO LEGISLATURE
It’s possible that Democrats will have supermajorities in both the state House and Senate next year, meaning they could override a gubernatorial veto. How would you navigate that political dynamic?
Phil Weiser
DEMOCRAT
“If a bill comes through where the people who it would affect were not consulted, were not listened to, I’m going to be pretty skeptical of that bill. What I will ask of the legislature is to respect these norms, to buy into them, and to work with me.”
Victor Marx
REPUBLICAN
Marx doesn’t think Democrats will secure a supermajority in the House and Senate. He believes Republicans will pick up seats in November. But if they don’t and he’s governor when Democrats have a supermajority in both chambers of the legislature, he said he wouldn’t look to fight Democrats at the Capitol every day. “I’ll meet with Democrats and Republicans, find areas where we can solve problems together. But cooperating doesn’t mean surrendering. That’s important for me. When when legislation comes across my desk that I believe hurts Colorado, I’ll use the constitutional authority that the governor has on the veto.”
DATA CENTERS
Both of you have said that data centers’ energy use should be regulated, hinting at the idea that they should pay for the power upgrades needed to run them. How do you envision making that happen?
Phil Weiser
DEMOCRAT
Weiser said the easiest solution is for data centers to have their own, on-site electrical generation so they’re not affecting the grid. Otherwise, he would direct the Public Utilities Commission to enforce a requirement that data centers pay for any new infrastructure needed to handle their electrical loads.
Victor Marx
REPUBLICAN
“I am pro-data center. I am pro-AI.” But he said if a data center needs new infrastructure to handle their electrical load, he wants the state’s Public Utilities Commission to structure rates so those costs are borne by the operator of the data center.
FLOCK CAMERAS
Should there be restrictions on when and how Colorado law enforcement use and access video surveillance databases, like those operated by Flock? If so, what should those restrictions be?
Phil Weiser
DEMOCRAT
Weiser said Colorado should have a law that restricts who can access video surveillance databases and how long surveillance footage is stored. He said it should also limit how surveillance video can be used and shared. For instance, he would want rules prohibting footage of someone entering a Colorado abortion clinic from being shared with a prosecutor in Texas for use in a case there.
Victor Marx
REPUBLICAN
He said there should absolutely be restrictions but that he wants to make sure law enforcement has access to all the tools they need to catch criminals, recover stolen vehicles and find missing people. “I would just require legitimate law enforcement purpose for every search. Shorter retention periods, unless the information, obviously, is going to be used as evidence of the case. Give police the tools they need, but don’t create a system where the government can track innocent Coloradans without accountability.”
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Colorado’s prison population is growing so fast that the state is planning to contract with a private prison provider to reopen a shuttered facility to accommodate the growth. As governor would you work to lower the prison population through sentencing reform or would you accept the increasing inmate population as necessary to protect public safety?
Phil Weiser
DEMOCRAT
Weiser said there’s a third option: reducing recidivism. “We’re building more prisons because we’re not doing enough to help people reenter.”
Victor Marx
REPUBLICAN
“I don’t want to manipulate sentencing simply to make prisoner numbers look better.” He said he’d audit the Department of Corrections and look at ways to increase treatment and rehabilitation of prisoners and help them reenter society when they leave prison to try to reduce recidivism.
GOVERNOR’S MANSION
Do you plan on living in the governor’s mansion if elected? Gov. Polis has chosen not to do so.
Phil Weiser
DEMOCRAT
“Whatever makes my wife happy.”
Victor Marx
REPUBLICAN
“We love the idea of living there.” But Marx said the mansion is “run down” and that he and his wife want to “make it beautiful, restore it to what it once was.” He said he would keep his home in Colorado Springs as a weekend getaway.
