Dan Maes's lieutenant governor pick will be his first big test

Dan Maes is about to make his first big move as the official Republican Party candidate for governor -- and no, it's not getting out of the race, as all those official Republican Party officials are still hoping, or complaining to the Denver Post about unfair coverage. It's picking his...

By Patricia Calhoun

August 16, 2010

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Dan Maes is about to make his first big move as the official Republican Party candidate for governor -- and no, it's not getting out of the race, as all those official Republican Party officials are still hoping, or complaining to the Denver Post about unfair coverage.

It's picking his lieutenant governor.

With a Tuesday deadline prescribed by state law, Maes spent the weekend interviewing candidates. One guess: It won't be Freda Poundstone, the longtime political operative who gave Maes $300 for something -- maybe a mortgage, maybe his campaign.

What is it with Republican candidates throwing senior citizens under the bus? Didn't Maes learn anything from Scott McInnis pushing plagiarism blame onto 82-year-old Rolly Fischer?

Poundstone is now supporting Tancredo, but she won't be his running mate, either. Turns out he's keeping Doug Campbell, the American Constitution Party candidate who was originally running with Benjamin Goss, the candidate who agreed to step aside so that Tancredo could take his place on top of the ballot.

Campbell talked up Tancredo's switch to the ACS in a July Westword interview. Presumably, then, he's off Maes's short list.

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Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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