Gubernatorial Elections

Amendment 64: Tom Tancredo on why GOP should embrace marijuana measure

Former Congressman and Colorado gubernatorial candidate Tom Tancredo was arguably the most prominent Colorado Republican to publicly back Amendment 64, the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act -- and even after voters approved it, few GOP members are rushing to laud it. Should they? Yes, Tancredo bel ... More >>

Dan Maes to set record straight about governor's race, "campaign terrorists" in new book

Dan Maes.​When last we heard from losing 2010 gubernatorial candidate Dan Maes, he was calling Tom Tancredo a big bully. Since then, there's been radio silence -- but Maes hasn't been idle. In the past few weeks, he's managed to write a book in which he promises to set the record straight abo ... More >>

Dick Wadhams's exit from Republican chair race to help Ted Harvey and party conservatives?

Ted Harvey.​The Colorado Republican Party didn't just lose the governor's race in November -- it also lost over a hundred bonus members of the State Central Committee, which will vote for the new party chair next month. Incumbent chair Dick Wadhams was going for that slot again -- until his M ... More >>

Mike Corona, "America's Sheriff," headed for Littleton federal prison

FCI Englewood​Disgraced ex-lawman Michael Corona, a former hot property in California Republican circles and once dubbed "America's Sheriff" by an admiring Larry King, has lost his appeal on corruption charges and may soon be one of the more celebrated inmates at Federal Correctional Instituti ... More >>

Border line! Tom Tancredo and Gustavo Arellano of "Ask a Mexican!" will debate in Denver on immigration

Dan Maes tops 10 percent, which means he's not the Biggest Loser in CO elections... but close

Dan Maes.​Tom Tancredo was about to concede the gubernatorial race, but many more Colorado contests were up in the air when I walked into the ballroom of the downtown Marriott, site of the Colorado Democratic Party's election party. And what was on the TVs? Not CNN, not local newscasts shunted ... More >>

Dan Maes's last-minute campaign blitz: Honking, waving

Dan Maes.​Yesterday, Dan Maes's campaign sent out a release announcing that he and "supporters" would be waving to passers-by at Eighth Avenue and Speer beginning at 4 p.m. -- a pledge he kinda exceeded, kinda didn't. When I drove past the spot at five minutes before 4, he was already there, h ... More >>

Tom Tancredo only real Republican running for governor, spokesman says: Sorry, Dan Maes

Tom Tancredo.​This weekend, the Denver Post shared polling data showing Democrat John Hickenlooper held a "comfy" 10 point lead over main challenger Tom Tancredo in the governor's race. But Tancredo operations manager Cliff Dodge rejects that, dismissing the Post's survey as "totally inaccura ... More >>

Dan Maes needs a job! Here's our list of the top five possible professions (other than governor)

Dan Maes.​Was Dan Maes offered a deal, maybe even a govement job, to drop out of the governor's race? The blogosphere was abuzz after the Post's Lynn Bartels broke the Maes story, wondering who might have made the offer. The bigger question: What job could you possibly give Dan Maes? Here are ... More >>

Tom Tancredo pulls to within four points of John Hickenlooper, says Rasmussem Reports

Tom Tancredo.​Are you ready for Governor Tom Tancredo? Better at least entertain the possibility, because his poll numbers continue to rise, while those of Dem John Hickenlooper and Republican Dan Maes keep slipping. That's the word from a just-released Rasmussen Reports survey, which shows T ... More >>

Marijuana legalization: Mason Tvert blasts John Hickenlooper and politicos who dodge issue

Mason Tvert.​At this hour, SAFER's Mason Tvert is slated to hold a press conference at the Denver City and County Building to highlight his pro-marijuana outfit's first-ever voter guides -- and to bash Mayor John Hickenlooper for what Tvert sees as his backwards stance on weed. But at least Hi ... More >>

Unaffiliated candidate Paul Fiorino laces-up for the governor's race

Paul Fiorino.​It says something about the level of noise in this year's gubernatorial race when the candidate with the lowest profile has perhaps the most intriguing back-story. Paul Fiorino didn't advertise for his running mate on Craigslist, he doesn't have Dog the Bounty Hunter campaigning ... More >>

Dan Maes's $500,000-in-a-day fundraising goal falls over $400,000 short, spokesman says

Dan Maes.​Dan Maes's embattled campaign for governor has been perpetually short of funds. With that in mind, the Republican nominee's finance committee sent out a release last week declaring the intention to raise $500,000 in a single day, September 17. How close did they come? Not very. Maes ... More >>

Jason Clark, guv hopeful with Craigslist-found running mate: From Jay Leno to low-profile slog

Jason Clark.​As the big names in the Colorado gubernatorial race drag an already strange election into even stranger territory, independent candidate Jason Clark has quietly toiled in obscurity. Well, not entirely. Back in May, Clark posted an ad for his running mate on Craigslist.

Tom Tancredo will face John Hickenlooper, Dan Maes at most debates -- but not Club 20's in GJ

Tom Tancredo.​As a third-party candidate, Tom Tancredo wasn't invited to be part of the Club 20 gubernatorial debate in Grand Junction this weekend. Not unless he wanted to sit in the audience, that is. But nobody puts Tommy in a corner!

John Hickenlooper, Tom Tancredo and Dan Maes have a date today -- but will Maes show?

Hickenlooper.​At noon, all three Colorado gubernatorial candidates are slated to be at Channel 12 to tape the first debate of the season, which is scheduled to air tomorrow night. That's the day the Colorado Secretary of State's office must officially certify the names on the November ballot.

Pedibus: Is Denver (and Dan Maes) ready for the next pedal-powered revolution?

​Denver is ground zero for pedal-powered programs, from its flourishing pedicab scene to B-cycle, the city's innovative bike-sharing program that's drawn the ire of Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Maes. But is it ready for the next step in gear-and-chain conveyance that's turning heads ... More >>

Jaimes Brown and Colorado's Libertarians are bringing the party to the people for the first time

Jaimes Brown.​At the 2008 Libertarian National Convention in Denver, some party members derisively passed around shots of Scope to wash the bad taste from their mouths following the presidential nomination of former Republican, Bob Barr. It wasn't just that Barr was seen as an impure strain o ... More >>

Tom Tancredo has a new running mate -- Pat Miller, not Michelle Malkin

From the cover of Pat Miller's latest book.​Just in the nick of time, Colorado gubernatorial candidate Tom Tancredo has a new running mate on the American Constitution Party ticket. And no, it's not Michelle Malkin. Former state representative and author Pat Miller will be Tancredo's lieutenan ... More >>

Freda Poundstone gave Dan Maes money -- now it's payback time

​Don't mess with octogenarians. That's a lesson that Scott McInnis learned when he threw his 82-year-old "Musings on Water" collaborator under a bus, and it sounds like 83-year-old Freda Poundstone is about to give Dan Maes a swift kick with her sensible shoes this morning.

Dan Maes rejects Tom Tancredo's suggestion that they both quit the governor's race

Dan Maes.​Tom Tancredo's latest suggestion for Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Maes: If Maes drops out of the race, Tancredo will, too, allowing the state GOP to choose a new candidate more likely to beat Democratic pick John Hickenlooper in November. To paraphrase Maes's response: Fat ... More >>

Dan Maes to announce lieutenant governor pick at noon today

Dan Maes.​This just in: Dan Maes will announce his choice for lieutenant governor during an event at noon today. Will his pick be the sort of person Northern Colorado Tea Party director Lesley Hollywood outlined earlier this morning? Or a person with more standard establishment credentials? We ... More >>

Tom Tancredo gives KHOW's Peter Boyles his tax returns, challenges Dan Maes to do the same

Tom Tancredo.​While other Republicans are starting to cozy up to Dan Maes, there's no love lost between the Republican gubernatorial candidate and Tom Tancredo, now running for governor on the American Constitution ticket. Tancredo, who's on KHOW right now, just gave his tax returns to Peter B ... More >>

Dan Maes meeting with Denver Post over complaints about unfair governor-race coverage

Dan Maes.​Another day, another Denver Post story that treats Republican gubernatorial nominee Dan Maes like an empty-walleted joke. It's no surprise, then, that Maes, who earlier threatened to limit the Post's access if the paper didn't start treating him fairly, has scheduled a meeting with ... More >>

Dan Maes can't win if Tom Tancredo stays in the race, says CO Republican boss Dick Wadhams

Dan Maes.​On Monday, Scott McInnis spokesman Sean Duffy insisted his guy wasn't a dead fish. But at this writing, he's flopping on the dock, refusing to admit that he doesn't have lungs -- or that he lost last night's primary to Dan Maes. But while Colorado Republican Party boss Dick Wadhams h ... More >>

TancreD'oh! Suggested campaign slogans for Colorado gubernatorial candidate Tom Tancredo

Tom Tancredo changing registration to American Constitution Party, says past chair

Tom Tancredo.​Even before alleged plagiarist Scott McInnis released a statement refusing to kowtow to Tom Tancredo's high noon ultimatum to drop out of the governor's race, Tancredo had already told the Denver Post that he would launch his own gubernatorial bid. And although it's not official, ... More >>

Tom Tancredo's ultimatum to Scott McInnis, Dan Maes: John Hickenlooper's wet dream?

Tom Tancredo.​This past weekend, Tom Tancredo told Patricia Calhoun that with a few days, he'd make some kind of announcement about the governor's race, which is a mess on the Republican side thanks to Scott McInnis's plagiarism problems and Dan Maes's assorted challenges. And that's one campa ... More >>

Tom Tancredo calls Dick Wadhams's criticism of his guv run ultimatum "bulls**t"

Tom Tancredo.​There's a lot of bullshit in Colorado politics lately. Mere days after senatorial candidate Ken Buck boasted that he wears cowboy boots "with Weld County bullshit, not D.C. bullshit," Tom Tancredo uses the same word to characterize Republican Party boss Dick Wadhams' criticism of ... More >>

Tom Tancredo compares Scott McInnis's continuing campaign to the Hindenburg disaster

Tom Tancredo.​Earlier today, Patricia Calhoun shared a chat with Tom Tancredo at the Independence Institute's ATF event this past weekend. But I caught up with him yesterday when he was at an even more unusual place -- a fast-moving line at the DMV (and "fast-moving" isn't a misprint). But he ... More >>

Scott McInnis has a new reason not to subscribe to the Denver Post

​After this week, you can safely assume Scott McInnis won't be subscribing to the Denver Post anytime soon. Because not only is the beleaguered Republican gubernatorial candidate an alleged plagiarist, he's also a penny pincher.

John Hickenlooper's gold record as Denver Mayor: Kenny Be's Fotochop Friday

Full-sized art below.​If John Hickenlooper has taught us anything, it is that a Denver mayor is not to be judged by his accomplishments, but by his clever campaign photo-op outfits. In keeping with his mayoral magic of gaining attention through gimmicky garments, the goofy geek gets decked out ... More >>

Tim Tebow's character does so count, damn it!

The Broncos' Mr. Congeniality.​Join us for another dip into three Denver blogs. In a Mile High Report fan post, jonmark93 disputes Post columnist Mark Kiszla's contention that character doesn't count, noting that Jay Cutler's never won an NFL playoff game. Can Tim Tebow achieve that goal and ... More >>

John Hickenlooper: Attack ads on the way about his charitable giving?

Photo by Michael RobertsShould Hick feel wary of anyone approaching him with his hand out?​Unlike Republican gubernatorial hopeful Scott McInnis, whose most prominent charitable donation appears to be elk meat, Democratic candidate John Hickenlooper has released tax returns showing that he's d ... More >>

Scott McInnis wants to bring Arizona immigration law to Colorado: Have your papers ready

This man would like to see some ID.​Republican gubernatorial hopeful Scott McInnis has been spending plenty of time on KHOW's airwaves lately. On Monday, for instance, he attempted to counter suggestions that he's not especially charitable during an appearance on the Caplis & Silverman show b ... More >>

Michael Bennet and Andrew Romanoff argue about who's the most outsidery

Even as Republican gubernatorial candidates Dan Maes and Scott McInnis get ready to square off during tonight's caucuses, the Democratic senatorial candidates, appointee Michael Bennet and opponent Andrew Romanoff, will be doing likewise. And if Bennet's just-released TV spot is any indication, the ... More >>

John Hickenlooper could be very late to dinner

Mayor John Hickenlooper is stranded in Washington, D.C., where he went to make a fast speech -- and now is stuck in that snowbound city. Which means he probably won't make the Colorado Restaurant Association "Candidates & Cocktails" event that starts at 5 p.m. today at Elway's in Cherry Creek, wher ... More >>

Looks like the mayor's Facebook page needs a status update

Scott McInnis, Jane Norton portray themselves as Scott Brown 2.0

"See, my name is Scott, and his name is Scott. Which makes us both Scotts. Get it?"​Republican Scott Brown's comfortable victory last night in the Massachusetts Senate race has proven that, this year, anyhow, Republicans are capable of winning anywhere. Jon Caldara for Congress in Boulder, any ... More >>

John Hickenlooper staff trying to figure out how to drive mayor/gubernatorial campaign hybrid

"Allow me to introduce myself, rest of Colorado."​John Hickenlooper's declaration yesterday that he will run for governor even as he keeps his job as Denver mayor creates a challenge for his mayoral staff, as mayor's office spokesman Eric Brown acknowledges. Yesterday, for instance, he helped ... More >>

Ken Salazar won't run for governor, endorses John Hickenlooper

Is this the next Democratic nominee for governor?​Update, 12:41 p.m.: John Hickenlooper has now released a statement regarding Ken Salazar's endorsement of him as a gubernatorial candidate. Read it below the original item. At least Ken Salazar didn't keep us guessing about his campaign intent ... More >>

Wake-Up Call: Scott McInnis website shows how the West was lost

McInnis says this is Delta. We say it's LoDo.​Scott McInnis, who's really the frontrunner for governor now, doesn't know his mountain ranges, and he apparently doesn't know his Western art, either. This summer, the Republican gubernatorial candidate took a hit when his campaign website debute ... More >>

Scott McInnis's spokesman: We're ready for the b-team

The grin you see here is pasted on Scott McInnis's face at this very moment.​Sean Duffy, spokesman for Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis, wants to make sure his guy gets a good share of the credit for Bill Ritter's impending announcement that he's going to pull out of the govern ... More >>

Scott McInnis isn't the real tea party candidate, says rival Dan Maes

Dan Maes would like to have his tea and drink it, too.​Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Maes is upset about the effort by GOP heavyweights to make Scott McInnis the de facto party standard bearer months before the primary -- and he says lots of tea party members will express the same sen ... More >>

Dan Caplis-Scott McInnis love match in the offing?

Will we need to replace Craig Silverman's face with Scott McInnis'?​While talking with Dan Caplis about his life-saving Thanksgiving earlier this week, another subject arose: his current feelings about presumed Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis. Back in August, McInnis treated ... More >>

Wake-Up Call: Tancredo's not running for governor, but he's on the move

​Tom Tancredo will have his Kumbaya moment at 10 a.m. today, when he gathers with Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis and other top GOPs -- including former governor Bill Owens and former gubernatorial Josh Penry -- to unveil an agreed-upon set of Republican principles. And that ... More >>

Scott McInnis unity platform fix is in

Where Scott McInnis leads, all of his former rivals plan to follow.​Last Thursday, Tom Tancredo confirmed in this space that he was part of a group coming up with a unity platform Republican Scott McInnis could use against Bill Ritter in the 2010 gubernatorial campaign -- and that if all went ... More >>

Tom Tancredo open to keeping hat out of ring if deal with Scott McInnis can be struck

Tom Tancredo has gone from fully intending to run for governor to entertaining the possibility of backing Scott McInnis.​A lot's happened in Tom Tancredo's world during the past week. Last Thursday, Tancredo said in this space, "I fully intend to run" for governor in 2010, adding that he plan ... More >>

What's making Josh Penry wave the white flag?

Josh Penry's getting out even before the getting's good.​There weren't a lot of hints in advance regarding state senator Josh Penry's decision to pull the plug on his gubernatorial campaign, which he's expected to do later today. This past Thursday, Penry spokesman Andrew Cole roundly ridicule ... More >>