Posted on 10/28/2010 1:04:00 PM PDT by ironwill
COLORADO SPRINGS — A visibly worn Dan Maes urged a group of 25 Tea Party activists to send Republican rainmakers a message by voting Maes for governor, even though it could cost conservatives the election.
The small event Monday was one of just two Maes appearances scheduled in the eight days before Election Day as the GOP nominee — hemorrhaging support and among the least-popular candidates in the country — limps toward the finish line.
His opponents, Democrat John Hickenlooper and third-party candidate Tom Tancredo, in the meantime are embarked upon cross-state sweeps as the election clock runs out.
The light schedule — Maes plans to appear at a News4 debate Friday — is one more ay in which Maes' campaign has been unique in Colorado's recent history, as the political unknown harnessed the grassroots and unexpectedly seized the GOP nomination following months of laboring in obscurity.
Just as quickly as he skyrocketed to a primary win where he received nearly 200,000 Republican votes, his approval ratings have plummeted to a level similar to that of politicians facing criminal charges.
The enthusiastic crowd Monday evening cheered, nodded in agreement and clapped for the beleaguered candidate, but came back to the question many Maes supporters have agonized over: Doesn't a vote for their man mean putting a Democrat in office?
In an us-versus-them speech, Maes urged the activists to vote their principles and not to let the party leaders spook voters into choosing the establishment-favored candidate.
"You're in a heckuva jam. . . . Is it possible we're going to split? Probably," Maes said. "This is not just about the governor's race anymore. It's about the future of the Republican Party."
The message hit home with Colorado Springs businessman Jay Evans, who voted for Maes in the primary. After the Monday night speech, Evans said he'll likely vote for Maes again.
"I really heard Dan's heart tonight, and that's why I voted for him in the primary," Evans said. "I couldn't believe Tancredo got everyone turned against Dan."
Others offered Maes prayers and words of encouragement such as "miracles can happen."
The sentiments of Colorado Springs fans aside, Maes has dropped to the single digits in a number of recent polls.
More telling, however, are numbers that show 75 percent of voters have an unfavorable opinion of Maes while 8 percent like him, according to Tom Jensen, director of Public Policy Polling. The group released its survey Monday.
The same percentage of surveyed voters have positive opinions of the indicted former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, though a greater portion dislike the Illinois politician, according to Jensen's polling.
No current gubernatorial or Senate candidate of any stripe has become as unpopular as Maes this year, Jensen said.
"It's really, in some ways, the strangest race in the country," he said. "I can't think of anyone who's been that unpopular. That's really hard to pull off."
The political novice has made a series of missteps. But Jensen said Tancredo is at the root of Maes' low approval rate as Republicans began to view their nominee as the odd man out.
Maes campaign spokesman Nate Strauch agreed with that.
"Tom's strategy has been clear and clearly devastating," Strauch said. "Dan believes that in the end, people will see through the fog created by that strategy and vote for the Republican nominee."
At Monday's meeting, Maes spoke bitterly of the lack of party support. The barrage of attacks and scrutiny of his personal record seemed to have taken their toll on the once perpetually upbeat candidate.
When one man, who declined to give his name, asked Maes if he'd consider running again if he doesn't win this year, the candidate hesitated.
"With how difficult this race has become, with how brutal, all I can see is Nov. 2," he said.
Jessica Fender: 303-954-1244 or jfender@denverpost.com
I have to admit, as someone watching this race from afar, Tancredo’s position is startling. I hope he wins, but I am surprised because this race got relatively little coverage from here in Massachusetts.
LOL
That gong has been ringin for a while now.
Isn't Tancredo pretty much conservative in many ways?...why do Tea Partyiers still stick up for a losing candidate this late in the game?
Was Hugh Hewitt one of the 25?
When the votes are counted Maes will have garnered single digit support. The only question is if that is enough to give Hickinlooper the governorship. If Maes cares about Colorado, he will encourage all his supporters to vote Tancredo, but alas the reason he is polling in the single digits is the same reasons he will let his ego threaten Colorado.
Agreed, I haven’t seen anything about it here in Cali either Darkwolf. Why is this man so unpopular?
LOL him and that producer of his, and the interns.
He keeps seeing the ghost of Kitty Carlyle but can’t figger out why.
So know...that would be a perfect CIA cover.
I think Tancredo will win. It would be really really stupid for the few folks who support Maes to rally for ..what..5% of the vote?
They may as well stay home and pray to God the Dem doesn’t win.
The Colorado Tea Party did not vet Dan Maes.He is either a grifter or a Democrat Trojan Horse
If he cared about the party, and if he cared about Colorado he would endorse Tanc. There is still time.
Even at this late hour; withdraw and endorse Tancredo...
Please don't surrender this seat to a Dhimmi-crat
I think that the Democrats must be paying Maes off at this point to stay in the race. Otherwise, it’s hard to explain what reason he could possibly have to keep doing this.
Thank for the information, will check it out.
1. GOP favorite Scott McInnis was caught in a plagiarism scandal a couple of weeks prior to the primary.
2. Maes was a Tea Party favorite. Once McInnis imploded, that energy made Maes a shoe-in for the primary.
3. Reports begin to surface even before the primary that Maes had been less than candid about his resume.
4. After the primary, it became clear that Maes had outright lied about some of the things in his resume.
5. Maes also demonstrated a remarkable capacity to say the wrong things at the wrong time.
6. Tancredo begins making noises just before the primary, offering to step in as a savior. GOP refuses.
7. With McInnis out, and Maes imploding, Tancredo steps in as an independent. Republicans, hoping to distance themselves and the party from Maes, begin lining up behind Tancredo.
8. Hickenlooper relaxes and lets Maes and Tancredo tear each other up.
TPM is a lib site, but even they know that Maes was a disaster from the get-go.
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