That's the word from a just-released Rasmussen Reports survey, which shows Tancredo pulling to within four points of Hickenlooper.
Here's the gist from Rasmussen:
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in Colorado finds Hickenlooper with 42% support, while Tancredo, the candidate of the American Constitution Party, earns 38% of the vote. Support for Republican Dan Maes continues to fall and now stands at 12%. Two percent (2%) prefer some other candidate, and six percent (6%) are undecided.Less than two weeks ago, Tancredo earned 35% of the vote to Hickenlooper's 43% and Maes' 16%. That shifted the race from Solid Democrat to Leans Democrat in the Rasmussen Reports Election 2010 Gubernatorial Scorecard. Now the race moves to a Toss-Up.
Earlier this week, Maes spokesman Nate Strauch dismissed plummeting poll numbers with this statement: "Dan has gone on record as saying he doesn't believe the polling showing him in the teens is accurate. On election day, he feels many people will vote for him because he is the Republican nominee and, to quote him, 'That's what they've always done.'"
Such optimism will be tougher to maintain as he nears single digits. Meanwhile, the momentum Tancredo operations manager Cliff Dodge talked about two weeks ago continues to build, undermining the confidence of Colorado Democratic Party boss Pat Waak that the governor's race isn't close.
Tancredo recently joked about being attacked as a "racist, Nazi bastard" by opponents had he entered the gubernatorial campaign earlier -- and something along those lines is probably on the way. Hickenlooper is too locked into his positive-campaign pledge to go wholly nasty, but you can bet other progressive organizations out there will be eager to bring the pain on his behalf.
You thought the TV commercials running to date were ugly? Just wait...
More from our Politics archives: "Dan Maes spokesman not worried about falling below 10% support, thinks TV ad may turn tide."
