Posted on 08/18/2010 3:10:27 PM PDT by LdSentinal
The chairman of the Colorado Republican Party said Wednesday he presented a proposal to GOP gubernatorial nominee Dan Maes that would have removed former GOP Rep. Tom Tancredo — who’s running on a third-party line — from the governor’s race.
But despite GOP handwringing over Tancredo’s candidacy, Maes declined the offer. Why? It would have required that Maes also drop out of the race.
Chairman Dick Wadhams said he decided to present Maes an offer from Tancredo to leave the race because of his interest in remedying a situation that makes it unlikely the GOP can pick up the open governorship.
“I felt it was my responsibility as state chairman to inform Dan of this offer since it held open the possibility of eliminating the current three-way race that gives the Democratic candidate a huge advantage,” Wadhams wrote in a statement.
Wadhams said that Maes indicated he would remain in the race and respected both “Tom’s offer and Dan’s response.”
Wadhams’s decision to serve as an intermediary presenting Tancredo’s proposition is a revealing sign of just how uneasy Republicans remain about the potential three-way race.
Tancredo announced last month that he would enter the race unless both former Rep. Scott McInnis, who was hobbled by a pair of plagiarism allegations, and Maes, who was accused of significant campaign finance violations, dropped their bids if they weren’t leading Democrat John Hickenlooper in the polls by last week’s primary.
Maes spokesman Nate Strauch told POLITICO that Wadhams “did not ask Dan to drop out, or even suggest it would be prudent.”
“He merely presented an offer made by a minor-party candidate, which Dan, as the unquestioned GOP nominee, flatly rejected. If Tom wants to affect the governor's race, he needs to go through the proper nominating process. Dan Maes has rejected this culture of backroom deals from the start, and he certainly won't be changing that philosophy for a third-party candidate,” Strauch said.
Pressed for more details on whether Wadhams hoped Maes would accept Tancredo’s offer, the party chairman said his statement spoke for itself.
“I passed along Tom's offer. Dan responded. They're both still running,” Wadhams told POLITICO in an e-mail. “I continue to support Dan Maes for governor of Colorado."
A Rasmussen Reports poll taken last week showed Hickenlooper with a comfortable lead in a three-way gubernatorial race, capturing 43 percent to Maes’s 31 percent. Tancredo pulled 18 percent of the vote, according to the survey.
What a hot mess
What a mess. Leave it to the Colo Republican party to botch things up so badly.
That would effectively leave the Democrat unopposed. What kind of offer is that?
Lemmie see, now Mr. GOP........
It’s RINO or nothing?
Reppublicans would choose another candidate to be on the ballot. One to Tancredo’s liking.
Hey Tanc you lost, go run for President again. What a jerk he is. You Palin bashers who love this guy, you paying attention?
Pray for America
I bet you Tancredo has his picture up on the screen when he isn't watching movies in his home theater.
If they both drop out there is still time for the Republicans to nominate a replacement and get him/her on the ballot.
I cannot believe the Colorado Republicans have screwed this up so badly, when they had a good chance to take back the governor’s mansion. There are a dozen Republicans there who would make a good governor, unfortunately none of them were in the primary. And now we have this cluster. And Colorado is probably going to end up with that jerk open borders/big government Hickenlooper.
Before Colorado got Californicated, a guy like Tancredo would have won handily.
“There are a dozen Republicans there who would make a good governor...”
And all of them know they can’t beat Hickenlooper. That’s why they didn’t run. I’ve moved to the western slope, at least there are less socialists over here.
Tancredo is not running as a Republican. He’s running on the American Constitution Party ballot.
Why blame the CGOP? Tancredo is the egomaniac causing all the problems.
Where you have the lovely John Salazar.
Here's what Dick Wadhams should have said,"Since I have been unable to broker a deal that would bring about a competitive scenario with a conservative running against Mayor Hickenlooper, I am tendering my resignation as GOP State Party Chair."
Dick is Mr. Backroom deal guy. Had he been effective - when the plagiarism story broke on McGinniss Wadhams should have been able to force his withdrawal. The Maes ads were absolutely devastating. It was as obvious as sunshine that McGinniss couldn't possibly win.
Only McGinniss ego and an inept state party created this F5 mess in Colorado.
Regards,
TS
“You Palin bashers who love this guy, you paying attention?”
I happen to like both of them. And Tancredo is right - Maes can’t win. The Maes scandals are just getting worse and worse; the most recent one I heard is that he’s apparently hit people up to pay his mortgage, and when asked by the press about it said no, those were “donations.” But the “donations” are mysteriously missing from his donor lists.
Frankly, with Maes in there, we’re going to lose either way. If Maes would take Tancredo’s deal, maybe we could find someone for the GOP platform with even a teensy chance of winning.
Wadhams needs to approach Pete Coors about stepping in!
Maes would lose to Hick whether or not Tancredo was in the race.
Hickenlooper Announces Joe Garcia as His Choice for Lieutenant Governor. Well that, locked up southern Colorado, if you know what I mean. Just one month ago, the smart money in the race was on Scott McInnis beating Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper in the general election and succeeding Gov. Ritter as the next governor of Colorado. If I had known this mess was in the future. I would have voted for Scott, to keep the brew pub guy out. But I’m still voting for Maes. He is the new blood, Tom drop out and write a book or something.
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