Colorado Republicans' nominee for governor has landed in a fresh wave of controversy, as he appeared to suggest in an audio recording from one of his speeches to a sympathetic crowd that he understands what it's like to be nonwhite in America — because his dad was involved in drugs and prostitution.
In the audio, obtained by the liberal network Meidas Touch, Victor Marx likened himself to a "reverse coconut" while describing his understanding of the nonwhite experience in America.
"So my background: My father was a drug dealer and a pimp," said Marx, to the general laughter of the audience. "I tell people I'm a reverse coconut. Brown on the inside, white on the outside. I'm very comfortable around people of color."
Marx, a former Marine, has rapidly become one of the most controversial figures running for statewide office in the 2026 midterms.
He has claimed, among other things, that he was forced to commit a murder as a child, and that he has seen enemy combatants literally transform into supernatural demons during his military service.
He has also worked to get around campaign finance regulations, in a scheme experts have warned is blatantly against the law.