State GOP chairman Dick Wadhams is definitely singing a different tune these days when it comes to whether Republican Dan Maes will receive less than 10 percent of the vote in the governor’s race.
Wadhams, at Club 20 in Grand Junction Sept. 11:
“I think it’s a terribly remote possibility that we would become a minor party.”
Wadhams to the AP’s Steve Paulson this week:
“It probably will happen. Voters are asking, ‘Why would I waste my vote on Maes? ‘”
Wadhams said the dynamics have changed since then.
He added he’s been besieged by e-mails from Republicans who admitted voting for Maes in the primary, but now are supporting former Republican Tom Tancredo, running on a third-party ticket.
“They’re telling me, ‘I demand you remove Maes. You better get him out of the race.’ I can’t do that. But they voted for Maes to begin with,” Wadhams said. “It’s amazing.”
Under current law, if Maes falls below the 10 percent threshold, Colorado Republicans will become a minor-party, unable to raise as much money as Democrats. GOP candidate names will be listed on the ballot with other third-party nominees, such as the Greenies and Libertarians and unaffiliated candidates. Currently Democrats and Republicans get top billing on the ballot.
Maes trails Tancredo and Democrat John Hickenlooper.
Wadhams, who was livid when Tancredo got into the race because it split the conservative ticket, had nothing but kudos today for the former congressman.
“To his credit, he has established himself as the challenger to Hickenlooper. I think Tom is in a position to pull this off,” Wadhams said.
