GOP 'exorcist' running for governor insists he battles pointy-eared demons

Victor Marx, the Republican gubernatorial nominee in Colorado, has made wild claims about doing battle against supernatural creatures and other foes as part of his "high-risk missionary" work.

The Marine Corps has built his public persona on a series of extraordinary personal claims, ranging from single-handedly defeating more than 10 armed soldiers in the Myanmar jungle to witnessing people physically transform during alleged demonic encounters, according to his 2024 book "The Dangerous Gentleman," and reported by Talking Points Memo.

Marx writes that he has performed what could be understood as exorcisms in war zones and prisons. In one passage, he describes a captured "ISIS commander" in Iraq whose face "became contorted," whose ears grew "pointy," and who he claims was photographed mid-transformation, though Marx did not respond to requests to view the alleged photos.

In another account, Marx describes a teenage girl in a youth detention facility "tearing at her own flesh," speaking in an "unnatural voice," and emitting a smell of "sulfur and rotten eggs."

Marx secured the Republican nomination in June after defeating three primary opponents, but has faced persistent scrutiny over his claims, including disputed assertions about his martial arts credentials and vague answers about how many people he has rescued or killed in conflict zones.

In an interview with Denver's 9News reporter Kyle Clark, Marx declined to give specific figures and downplayed his past description of himself as a "reluctant exorcist," while not disputing the substance of the encounters described in his book.

The Republican candidate is considered a long shot against Democratic Attorney General Phil Weiser, with Cook Political Report rating the race "solid D." His candidacy has also created friction within his own party, including the recent resignation of the vice chair of the Denver Republican Party rather than face a removal vote after refusing to back Marx.

Religion scholars say Marx reflects an emerging trend on the religious right, where talk of demonic possession and "spiritual warfare" has moved from the fringe to the mainstream alongside the rise of the MAGA movement.

Brad Onishi, a former evangelical minister and researcher at UC Berkeley, pointed to White House faith adviser Paula White-Cain, Tucker Carlson's own claimed demonic encounter, and the late Charlie Kirk, who wrote the foreword to Marx's book, as evidence the rhetoric has become normalized in conservative politics.

Onishi warned the framing carries real risks, since casting political opponents as literally demonic can function as a justification for violence rather than democratic disagreement.

Marx's book explicitly frames societal battles, including over gender and LGBTQ issues, in these terms, urging men to become "dangerous" against what he calls "demonic forces" behind secular institutions.

Marx did not respond to requests for comment on the claims in his book.