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Colorado Governor's Field Set With Tea Party Fave, Anti-Immigration Firebrand

1 year ago
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Never mind the anti-incumbent fever or trend toward the Republican Party running through Campaign 2010, the Colorado governor's race is in a class by itself.

Maybe class isn't the right word. But on Friday the Colorado Secretary of State certified Republican nominee Dan Maes for the ballot, despite pleas by the GOP establishment for Maes to make it easy on everyone and just drop out. Why? He apparently misrepresented the law enforcement work he did while he was a cop in -- get this -- Liberal, Kansas. He's been fined $17,500 for campaign finance violations and he once suggested that a Denver bicycle-sharing program might be part of a U.N. scheme to deny individual liberties. If elected, he has vowed to fire 2,000 state workers, "just like that," the AP said.

The opposition includes Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, a brew pub owner and supporter of the bike program, and also Tom Tancredo, a onetime Republican congressman and 2008 presidential candidate who is running as an American Constitution Party candidate. Before turning their attention to Maes, Colorado's Republican leadership tried to dissuade Tancredo from entering the fray. That failed. Tancredo, who made his name with bombastic rhetoric and hard-line stands against illegal immigration, says he's already raised $200,000 for his third-party race and has lined up Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio for a fund-raising event later this month. The chippy Phoenix lawman is being sued by the federal government alleged discriminatory practices involving Hispanics.
Colorado gubernatorial candidates Dan Maes (L) and John Hickenlooper debate
Democrat Hickenlooper holds a 12-point lead over Maes in an Aug. 29 Rasmussen Reports poll of the contest to succeed Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter. Hickenlooper has raised $2.3 million -- far more than Tancredo or Maes -- and is already airing TV commercials for his campaign. One shows him taking a shower with his clothes on in a whimsical attempt to wash away the grime of negative ads.

At this point, most Colorado Democrats are standing back and enjoying the turmoil on the GOP side. "The mess they've created is their own mess..." said Colorado Democratic Charwoman Pat Waak, "until that mess impacts all voters in this election."

Maes won't back down. "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," he said in a Facebook posting. Former Sen. Hank Brown, who also served as president of the University of Colorado, withdrew his endorsement of Maes last week. So did beer baron Pete Coors and former Colorado Senate President John Andrews. Even the conservative Tea Party movement is divided on Maes' candidacy, according to the Associated Press. Lana Fore-Warkocz, publisher of Tea Party newspaper in Colorado Springs, says she's sticking with Maes, but she said the continuing attacks on him have split the movement in the state.

All of this has distracted attention from a critical Senate race, pitting incumbent Democrat Michael Bennet, a freshman who was appointed to fill a vacancy, against conservative Republican Ken Buck.

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23 Comments

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Rob & Kathy

Reagan was wrong on this. Obama wants to grant amnesty to approx. 20 million. Obama is wrong too...

September 06 2010 at 11:20 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
cwaged1002

Where were all of these outraged Republicans when Reagan gave ammesty to the undocumented workers?

September 05 2010 at 2:20 PM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply
TED

Why can'y they get it right?? IT'S ANTI "ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION"

September 04 2010 at 10:19 PM Report abuse +5 rate up rate down Reply
RICHARD BONNET

WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE.MOST PEOPLE SUPPORT LEGAL IMMIGRATION, NOT ILEGAL IMMIGRATION. PEOPLE FROM ALL COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD DESERVE TO HAVE A CHANCE TO COME TO THE UNITED STATES LEGALLY. OUR DOORS SHOULD BE OPEN TO ALL COUNTRIES,NOT JUST ONE COUNTRY. WHY SHOULD ONLY ONE COUNTRY ( MEXICO) COME INTO THIS COUNTRY. I PERSONALLY KNOW PEOPLE FROM GREECE,GERMANY, IRELAND,ITALY, TO NAME A FEW WHO WANT TO COME TO THE UNITED STATES LEGALLY. IT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE THAT ONLY PEOPLE FROM MEXICO SHOULD FILL ALL THE QUOTAS IN ORDER TO COME TO THIS COUNTRY. OUR IMMIGRATION POLICIES SHOULD CONSIDER ALL PEOPLE FROM ALL COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD.

September 04 2010 at 8:49 PM Report abuse +8 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to RICHARD BONNET's comment
RICHARD BONNET

I HAVE TO ADD ONE THING TO MY COMMENTS: ACCORDING TO GOOGLE,THERE ARE 195 COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD. THIS BACKS UP MY COMMENTS.WHY SHOULD ALL THE LEGAL IMMIGRATION COME FROM ONLY ONE COUNTRY. ALL PEOPLE FROM ANY ONE OF THESE 195 COUNTRIES SHOULD HAVE A " SHOT" AT COMING TO THE UNITED STATES. THE ONLY WAY TO HAVE FAIRNESS IN LEGAL IMMIGRATION IS TO HAVE AN ESTABLISHED QUOTA SYSTEM. DOES ANYONE DISAGEE?

September 04 2010 at 9:30 PM Report abuse +4 rate up rate down Reply
azuredaze

Vote for a democrat if you want: 1. The 17th month straight that unemployment has been over 9%. 2. A 1.3 TRILLION dollar deficit just for this year with Obama's budget. 3. Taxes to go through the roof like medical insurance premiums are already doing. 4. Gitmo to close and the rest of the terrorists let go free like Obama has been quietly doing all year. 5. The Iraq war in total cost 706 billion over 8 years, but with Obama, we have a stimulus package of 867 billion in just 2 years..and no money to pay for it. 6. If you want to watch Obama go on his 17th vacation in 19 months on your dime (it's 57,000 every time they fire up Air-Force-I). 7. If you want more illegals pouring into the country to get free everything that you get to pay for, and Obama granting them all amnesty for breaking the law. 8. If you want the national day of prayer cancelled for the third year while 50,000 Muslims are invited to dinner and to pray on the White House lawn, and Barack taking off his shoes, donning his mat and praying WITH them. Yeah, sure makes me want to vote for a democrat..NOT.

September 04 2010 at 8:05 PM Report abuse +3 rate up rate down Reply
yankeei

How about the dissoultion of both parties? Let's have people vote on a candidate based on their stand on issues that reflect the concerns specific to our region. Fat chance, I know - but it would be a bloodless revolution. Dissolve the billions of dollars thrown at both parties; dissolve the us v. them mentality. CT has freed up 6m voted on entirely by Dems to deliver money under the "equal election law" - guess where that money is going? Let's not have this - the two party, partisan craziness must stop.

September 04 2010 at 6:45 PM Report abuse +3 rate up rate down Reply
jforgit9

Thank you Republican Party, you are self destructing.

September 04 2010 at 6:19 PM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply
dajt666

there is nothing i can do for arizona because my own state is screwed up and giving us 2 horrible options running for governor and for the senate.

September 04 2010 at 6:18 PM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply
billlesd

Its really too bad to see the decline in work ethic and common sense in the United States. You'd rather vote for a pro-amnesty Dem, or a republican who'd shown ethics issues, instead of TOM TANCREDO??? Tom, who was a Presidential candidate and the only one with GUTS enough to raise the subject, FINALLY, of illegal immigration and what it is costing America?? And why is bring up the subject of illegal immigration enough to label people racists??? Disgusting. Illegals are destroying our educational system, our health care system,and taking away MANY sorts of jobs ( not just crop picking) from our own citizens.They represent a burden to taxpayers. No violence please, simply getting the govt to enforce our laws to protect OUR people. Vote to protect your own countrymen for a change. Do what is good for the country. The founding fathers must be turning in their graves that elected officials won't enforce our own laws. Elect someone who will INSIST on it!!!

September 04 2010 at 4:34 PM Report abuse +16 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to billlesd's comment
pgbrooke

Tancredo? Really? REALLY?

September 04 2010 at 6:38 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
hefie

Living in Colorado, I am sure in a quandary as to who to vote for. Tancredo is extremely selfish and arrogant for thinking that he is the savior in this race, when in fact, he guaranteed a victory for the democrat (Hickenlooper) by splitting the conservatives. I don't like either candidate, and may just leave that a blank spot. If we had unity in the GOP or a strong independent conservative, he/she would have my vote. We're going to be stuck with another liberal in our fair state.

September 04 2010 at 4:03 PM Report abuse -6 rate up rate down Reply

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