Colorado election law at CRS 1-1-104(22) defines a “major political party” as “any political party that at the last preceding gubernatorial election was represented on the official ballot either by political party candidates or by individual nominees and whose candidate at the last preceding gubernatorial election received at least ten percent of the total gubernatorial votes cast.”
Any party not meeting the 10% gubernatorial vote requirement is by definition, at CRS 1-1-104(23), a “minor political party.”
This means that if Tancredo succeeds in marginalizing Maes, at the next statewide election, where “the two major political parties” are listed first and second on the ballot by lot, CRS 1-5-404, we might see the Colorado Democratic Party and the Colorado Constitution Party sharing that privilege, while the Colorado Republican Party would fall into a “second group” of minor political parties whose order in the ballot is determined mainly by lot within that second group (alphabetically, for gubernatorial candidates only). Theoretically, depending on the luck of the draw and the last names of 2012 candidates, if Tancredo and his supporters succeed in ruining Maes’ campaign, all of the statewide Colorado Republican Party candidates in 2012 might appear way, way way down on the ballot inbetween or even underneath the Libertarians, Greens, etc.
Wouldn’t that be ironic?
Viva Tancredo!!! Stick it to the GOP!!!
No, let’s get serious. Tancredo can’t win anyway. The best way for Colorado Republicans to preserve the status quo, assuming they don’t want to see their own Maes in office, and not penalize all of their candidates in 2012 is to hold their noses and vote for Hickenlooper. Let Maes come in a distant second, and let Tancredo get the dismal third place befitting a “minor political party” candidate – and his stature.
you’re back to not supporting Maes?
and there is no good reason that an intelligent R, and there are some, would vote for Maes. With an economy in decline, the car in the ditch, a smart R knows that we need a Governor Hickenlooper, someone who has worked with many groups and individuals in a non-partisan way, generally toward progressive ends.
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“A smart Republican is one who supports working toward progressive ends.”
In other words, the only good Republican is a Democrat.
Did I get that right ?
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I’d agree with the quote but not the following conclusion.
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I did put words in your mouth, but I tried to be faithful to what I understood you to say.
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smart Republicans want to give justice nominations and redistricting to Dems. Riiiiight.
Nightmare!
Maes choosing judges? Maes nominating and appointing ?
I don’t want to ever move again. I like it here, a lot. But if Maes wins, I guess I won’t care- I’ll be living somewhere else before he makes his first appointment.
But it sounds like there are many Republicans who say that the candidate they are LEAST likely to vote for is Dan Maes. That’s what former Sen. Bill Armstrong said to Peter Boyles the other day: he indicated he’d be voting for either Tancredo or Hickenlooper.
The base has a different opinion, and they are pissed.
Listen to the show online again. Sen. Armstrong said clearly that he definitely won’t vote for Hick, he’s not likely to vote for Tancredo, but he’s not fond of Maes either. As much as Boyles tried to nail him down, Armstrong wouldn’t indicate what he was going to do on the ballot question. Boyles indicated that Hank Brown answered similarly.
I thought that while he would not allow himself to get nailed down with regard to an endorsement, he indicated that his options were basically Maes or Hickenlooper. Tancredo was out, although he considers Tancredo a friend.
But I will admit I don’t have access to a transcript, so if I remembered it wrong, I apologize.
http://www.denverpost.com/news…
Would have been nice with a litte attribution, but oh well.