Colorado GOP Makes Last Push to Get Dan Maes Out of Gov's Race

The heat is on Colorado Republican Dan Maes to drop out of the race for governor, with several prominent supporters, including some Tea Party members, withdrawing their support this week.

But Maes, who beat former congressman Scott McInnis in the primary, showed up Thursday for a three-way debate with Democratic candidate and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and American Constitution Party hopeful and former congressman Tom Tancredo.

Arriving at the debate, Maes told the Colorado Independent he would stay in the race. Thursday morning, Maes tweeted, "Do not waiver! Never quit!" In a longer Facebook post, he said, "I stand by everything I have said. When you get the media and the machine out of the way and the peoples voices are heard, we win. Do not not be decieved (sic) by word games and manipulation by the media. We are in the 4th quarter of the game and we must dig deeper than ever into our souls to find the strength to fight to...the end."

Former U.S. Sen. Hank Brown, beer baron Pete Coors, and former state Senate president John Andrews all withdrew their endorsements of Maes this week, while 2006 GOP gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez called for Maes to drop out of the race. Beauprez told the Colorado Statesman that he'd be willing to step in and run a second time if Maes withdrew. Over on RedState, Erik Erickson also called for Maes to step aside and offered up Jane Norton, who lost her Senate bid to Ken Buck, as a potential candidate.

Late Thursday, the Denver Post and Colorado Springs Gazette editorial boards called for Maes to step aside.

Maes has come under fire for more than $17,000 in fines for campaign finance violations and for saying that Denver's bicycle sharing program might be part of a United Nations plot that could lead to the loss of individual freedom.

The latest criticism followed a Denver Post report that Maes had claimed on his website that he did undercover work for the Kansas Bureau of Investigation in the mid-1980s when employed as a police officer in Liberal, Kan. Maes later removed the posting and said his relationship with the bureau was informal. Kansas authorities have said they know nothing of any Maes involvement with KBI cases.

Colorado's secretary of state must certify the Nov. 2 ballot by Friday, with plans for county clerks to begin printing arrangements next week. Some speculate that if Maes withdrew, the state Republican Central Committee could appoint a new nominee Tuesday and still get that name on the ballot. But beyond that, it would be too late.

With the ballot deadline nearing, one conservative group, the 9/12 movement, has asked for a meeting with Maes. Northern Colorado Tea Party leader Lesley Hollywood called for Maes to step aside on her Facebook page Thursday: "Alright Dan Maes -- it's time for you to go. Get out now, while the gettin' is still good."

But Maes may be hoping to ride the Republican wave into office, despite his difficulties, said Kyle Saunders, an associate professor of political science at Colorado State University.

"I think all of this has just emboldened him," Saunders said.

While polls indicate Hickenlooper leads the three-way race, many potential voters are undecided, with support for all three men declining in a recent Rasmussen survey. A recent Magellan poll shows Republicans leading in most statewide races and key congressional battles -- except the governor's race.

GOP insiders worry that Maes may drag down U.S. Senate candidate Buck and others on the ticket, and they've made it clear he's on his own when it comes to fundraising and campaigning. Last month, GOP Chairman Dick Wadhams delivered Maes a message from Tancredo, who offered to leave the race if Maes also dropped out. Maes rejected it.

Democrats, on the other hand, are criticizing Republicans for going against the wishes of primary voters.

"Kingmakers and power-players in the Republican Party clearly want to play games with their party's vote for Dan Maes," said Democratic Party Chairwoman Pat Waak in a statement. "The mess they've created is their own mess . . . until that mess impacts all voters in this election."

Meanwhile, Tancredo announced he raised more than $200,000 for his campaign during August. And later this month, Arizona's controversial Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio (who is being sued by the feds in connection with a probe of alleged discrimination by his office) will appear at a Tancredo fundraiser in Denver.

Tancredo's take last month would be more than Maes raised through early August, according to reports with the Colorado Secretary of State. Hickenlooper has raised more than $2.3 million through early August, and back in June purchased more than $850,000 in TV ads.

"Hickenlooper has so much more cash and so much more name recognition," Saunders said. "Tancredo's pulling votes away . . . It's not going to be a pretty process, no matter what."

Hickenlooper is the only gubernatorial candidate on the air thus far. And his lighthearted commercials -- including one in which he showers repeatedly with his clothes on to remove the ick of negative campaign ads -- are a stark contrast to the hostile ads run on behalf of Buck and Democratic U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet.