Maybe -- if Tom Tancredo disappears from the face of the earth. Today, Dan Maes's camp is touting a survey that shows Maes tied with Hickenlooper in a two-person race. Problem is, there aren't two people in the race. There are three -- and Tancredo is offering no indication that he's ready to surrender. After all, he just named Pat Miller as his lieutenant governor candidate.
Oh yeah: In an interview with Westword last week, Tancredo said he wasn't even sure Dan Maes would be a better governor than Hickenlooper -- arguably the biggest insult he could delivery this side of suggesting that Maes's campaign is being funded by a cartel of Mexican coyotes.
As for that Reuters poll, it shows Hickenlooper winning handily as long as Tancredo remains in the picture. And if Tanc sticks around, Hick can keep airing commercials like the ones below. Check them out, after reading the Maes campaign release, in which the Republican nominee once again exhorts Tancredo to take his ball and go home.
NEW POLL SHOWS MAES UP, OTHERS DOWN(ENGLEWOOD) - A new poll released today by Reuters/Ipsos Public Affairs shows Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Maes tied in a two-way race with Democrat John Hickenlooper. The poll, conducted from August 20 to 22, shows similar results to an August 11 survey published by Innovative Research and Data Solutions, which showed Maes with a 44-42 lead over Denver's Mayor.
The Reuters poll of 601 Coloradans has Maes tied with Hickenlooper, 45-45 percent, if the third-party candidate were to drop out of the race. The poll further shows both Hickenlooper and Tancredo trending down in a three-way race, as support for the Democrat has fallen to 41 percent and the ACP candidate is down two-points from the most recent polling, to only 16 percent of likely voters.
"Tom Tancredo's bid was prefaced with a challenge to me that I show him a poll that proves I can win in a two-way race," said Maes. "We now have two polls showing I can win. The biggest obstacle to a Republican victory in November is Tom Tancredo.
"Tom, honor your promise to me and to Coloradans. Your support is falling by the day, and your presence in this race is seriously affecting our ability to take back this state and get our economy back on track. Be a man of your word and withdraw from this election."