Key Takeaways
- Victor Marx, a Republican gubernatorial hopeful in Colorado, is under fire for allegedly inflating his résumé and campaign finances.
- A coalition of citizen journalists—many once Marx supporters—has taken on the role of fact‑checkers, producing detailed rebuttals and investigations.
- Notable investigators include Darcy Schoening (author of “The Truth About Victor Marx”), Ashe Epp, Curt and Cori Kennedy, Mark Cook, and radio hosts Ryan Schuiling and Trisha Calvarese.
- Mainstream Colorado media has largely sidestepped the controversy, focusing instead on routine sports, weather, and lifestyle stories.
- The author argues that these alternative media actors are performing a vital watchdog function and deserve public gratitude for informing voters ahead of the primary.
- The piece warns that Marx may be a “grifter” exploiting the Republican Party, urging voters to scrutinize his claims before casting ballots.
Peter Boyles opens his column by reminding readers that Colorado’s history is peppered with colorful crooks—from Soapy Smith and 1920s KKK leader Dr. John Galen Locke to the Smaldone family, local mob figures such as “Cadillac Jack” Abranoff, and even national fraudsters like Charles Ponzi and Bernie Madoff. Into this lineage steps Victor Marx, a Republican gubernatorial candidate whose self‑promoted narrative of extraordinary accomplishments has begun to unravel under the scrutiny of a nascent alternative‑media corps.
Boyles notes that while Denver’s mainstream outlets have largely ignored the growing doubts about Marx, a cadre of citizen journalists and investigators—many of whom were once his supporters—has stepped into the breach. He highlights Darcy Schoening, a Republican activist and private researcher who authored the detailed exposé “The Truth About Victor Marx.” Schoening’s work, Boyles argues, lays out a systematic dismantling of Marx’s claimed credentials, from inflated military service to dubious business ventures.
Next, Boyles praises Ashe Epp, whose rising profile as a columnist for the newspaper, co‑host on KHOW’s Tuesday show with Ryan Schuiling, and podcaster has made her a visible voice in the alternative‑media landscape. Epp’s commentary, Boyles suggests, helps translate complex findings into accessible arguments for a broader audience.
The piece then turns to Curt Kennedy, described as a coder and algorithm genius, whose wife Cori Kennedy performed extensive background research on Marx. Cori’s work included dissecting Boyles’ own radio interview with Marx, pinpointing statements that contradict verifiable facts. Boyles labels the Kennedys “brilliant researchers and fact finders,” underscoring the technical rigor they bring to the investigation.
Boyles also mentions several other contributors who, though absent from the dinner gathering, played pivotal roles: Kelly Dore, former elected official and founder of the National Human Trafficking Survivor Coalition; Ross Kaminsky of the Common Sense Institute Colorado and radio host; radio personalities Michael Brown and Mandy Connell; Mark Cook, owner of Booster Technologies, who uncovered an alleged “smurfing” scheme that questions the provenance of Marx’s campaign contributions; and Corby Hall, who, present at the dinner, demonstrated how Marx’s financial disclosures fail to hold up under scrutiny.
Special recognition goes to Ryan Schuiling of KHOW radio and his assistant Trisha Calvarese, whose Boyles describes as delivering “some of the most riveting radio that the city has heard in quite a while.” Their investigative segments, Boyles argues, have cut through the noise and forced Marx’s claims into the public eye. Additionally, Chuck Bonniwell and Julie Hayden—owners of the newspaper and hosts of their own podcast—are credited with “lightning work” on the Marx story, keeping the pressure on the candidate despite mainstream media’s indifference.
Boyles laments that Colorado’s established press remains fixated on safe, familiar topics—dry weather, a disappointing ski season, Broncos optimism, Avalanche playoff hopes, and the Rockies’ recent slump—while ignoring the substantive challenge posed by Marx’s candidacy. He suggests this media neglect creates a vacuum that the alternative‑media network is filling, performing a traditional watchdog role that the public now depends on.
Drawing a historical parallel, Boyles warns that Marx may be another “grifter” infiltrating the Republican Party, likening him to former candidate Dan Maes’s controversial “Jesus” episode. He urges voters to treat the primary vote as a weighty responsibility, reminding them that genuine power does not need to be advertised—a nod to Margaret Thatcher’s observation that “being powerful is like being a lady; if you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.”
In closing, Boyles expresses gratitude toward the citizen journalists and investigators for their diligence, arguing that the state owes them a debt of thanks for supplying voters with the information necessary to make informed choices. He hopes their efforts will inspire similar scrutiny of other candidates, reinforcing a healthier, more transparent political culture in Colorado.