Victor Marx, the Republican frontrunner for Colorado governor, declined to say how many people he has killed when pressed by a local television reporter, responding to the question with "Does it matter?"
The exchange, which aired ahead of the weekend, came during a 30-minute interview conducted by Kyle Clark of 9News. Marx, who has built a political brand around a tough-guy image, claims he was forced to kill a man at age 7 and has spoken publicly about killings he says were connected to his work as a "high risk missionary."
Clark noted that Marx served in the military but never deployed or saw combat, raising questions about the origins of the stories Marx has used to cultivate what he calls his "Dangerous Gentleman" persona — the title of his book.
"But it's not clear how much is true and how much is big talk to sell books and raise funds for his $7 million-a-year ministry," Clark wrote.
Marx did not directly address those questions. When Clark asked how many people he had killed, Marx deflected with the question that quickly went viral: "Does it matter?"
Marx is currently considered the leading candidate in the Republican primary for Colorado governor, a race that also includes state Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer and state Rep. Scott Bottoms. Colorado has trended Democratic in recent election cycles, making the Republican primary field and the candidates' general election viability a subject of ongoing scrutiny.