Colorado Republican Party Secretary Russ Andrews today endorsed unaffiliated gubernatorial candidate and former Republican Congressman Greg Lopez for Governor, saying recent developments surrounding his own party’s nominee, Victor Marx, have made it impossible for him, in good conscience, to support the Republican ticket for governor.

While Andrews’ announcement makes him the first state party officer to endorse Lopez over Marx, he isn’t the first GOP leader to do so. Back in August Denver GOP Vice Chair Hugo Chavez-Rey announced his preference for Lopez, before resigning his position, after state GOP Chair Craig Steiner told him that endorsing anyone besides the GOP nominee violated the party’s bylaws.

Steiner has not yet responded to a Colorado Times Recorder email inquiry as to whether he was aware of Andrews’ plan to endorse Lopez, whether he will ask Andrews to resign, and whether the GOP will continue to support Andrews’ campaign for House District 57 in Garfield County. This article will be updated with any response received. Lopez has endorsed Andrews’ statehouse campaign.

In a press release, Andrews emphasized that he believes he is putting people over party and principles over politics.

“My concerns with Mr. Marx have been growing since the State Assembly,” says Andrews. “I chose to be a team player and stay silent regarding my personal opinion of Mr. Marx. I can no longer keep my concerns with the Republican gubernatorial candidate silent.”

Andrews cited two main reasons for his decision: the record campaign finance violations, and the more recent revelations of Marx’s earlier appearance on a podcast describing what seems to be incidents of both spousal abuse and child abuse.

Marx’s campaign has been hit with a historic campaign-finance ruling involving 210 violations and a $57,647.16 fine. The administrative hearing officer described the scale of the violations as “without precedent” and cited the campaign’s continued acceptance and retention of prohibited contributions despite warnings.

For Andrews, those revelations, especially child abuse, crossed a line that party loyalty cannot erase.

“I am a Republican, and I believe deeply in conservative principles,” says Andrews. “But being a Republican does not require me to abandon my conscience, my judgment or my values. We tell voters that character matters. We tell parents that protecting women and children matters. We tell candidates that following the law matters. Those principles cannot suddenly become optional because the person involved has an ‘R’ next to his name. I will not excuse conduct from a Republican that I would condemn immediately if a Democrat had done the same thing. That is not principle. That is partisanship.”

The Marx campaign did not immediately respond to the Colorado Times Recorder’s request for comment. This article will be updated with any response received.

Andrews, who is the last party officer remaining from the March 2025 election that saw Brita Horn win the chairmanship, says the decision is also about ensuring that rural and western Colorado have a governor who understands that leadership is bigger than a political party.

“Rural Colorado cannot afford to be an afterthought, Greg understands that,” says Andrews. “Colorado does not end at the Denver metro area. He listens, he shows up, and he understands that leadership means representing people, not serving a political organization. A letter next to someone’s name should never excuse us from exercising judgment about the person asking for our vote. Greg has proven himself as Mayor, as an advocate for Protect Kids Colorado, and as our Congressman. He always stands up for Colorado.”

In his endorsement of Andrews, Lopez emphasizes Andrews’ Western Slope roots. “Russ Andrews understands rural Colorado because he lives it,” Lopez says. “He knows that Western Colorado’s water, agriculture, energy, small businesses, and rural communities cannot be dictated to by politicians hundreds of miles away. Russ has the independence and backbone HD57 needs, and I am proud to endorse him. Russ and I may not share the same party label in this election, but we share something more important: a commitment to listen, serve and put Colorado first…from Boulder to Grand Junction.”