Republican Colorado gubernatorial candidate Victor Marx appears to be soliciting unlimited campaign contributions through a legal loophole, according to a 9News report published Friday.

Marx is telling donors they can give without legal restrictions by purchasing merchandise through a newly created online store featuring "Victor For Governor" swag packages priced as high as $1,299. The most expensive package includes an "exclusive private group Zoom with your next Governor, Victor Marx." Marx launched this store after removing his previous one, which carried a disclaimer that all purchases were campaign contributions.

Under Colorado campaign finance law, campaigns must report any amount received for merchandise that exceeds the campaign's actual cost as a donation. Colorado's campaign finance rules are enforced through the Secretary of State's office, which adjudicates complaints and can impose fines. However, Marx has declined to disclose where the merchandise funds are going and has not clarified whether the money is being used for campaign purposes.

Marx's campaign already faces scrutiny over its primary election conduct. According to the Secretary of State's office, Marx's campaign violated campaign finance law during the primary by accepting more than 100 contributions exceeding the state's $1,450 limit. He faces potential fines and penalties at a hearing in September. Marx has denied wrongdoing, calling the violations a "nothing burger."

"What other people didn't understand, if they made a $1,450 donation, the way it was set up, when they ordered merch, that counted against them," Marx said. Under the new store, he explained, "If they order merchandise, there's no limit on that. They can order as much as they want. That will really help us."

Campaign finance experts dispute the validity of this approach. GOP-turned-independent campaign finance attorney Mario Nicolais called Marx's unlimited merchandise store "patently illegal." Whether a formal complaint is filed over the new merchandise store remains to be seen, but the September hearing will address the prior contribution-limit violations from the primary.

Marx, a controversial candidate who has claimed he was forced to kill a man as a child, has long rejected accusations from fellow Republicans that he is using the gubernatorial race to enrich himself. His two primary opponents, state Rep. Scott Bottoms and state Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer, have both declined to endorse him — an unusual break from the party unity typically expected after a competitive primary as a nominee heads into the general election.