COLORADO
      Nov. 2, 2010 Governor

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+John Hickenlooper/Joe Garcia (D)
915,436 51.05%
Tom Tancredo/Pat Miller (ACP) 652,376
 36.38%
Dan Maes/Tambor Williams (R) 199,792
 		11.14%
Jaimes Brown/Ken Wyble (L)
 		13,365
 		0.75%
Jason R. Clark (Unaff.)
 		8,601
 		0.48%
Paul Noel Fiorino/Heather McKibbin (Unaff.)
 		3,492
 		0.19%
write-ins (4)
 		86

1,793,148
Active Voters: 2,474,059.  Ballots Cast: 1,819,481.
Plurality: 263,060 votes (14.67 percentage points).
 CO Secretary of State


Notes:  This race saw many twists and turns before Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper (D) defeated former U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo (R) and businessman Dan Maes (R) to keep that seat in the Democratic column.

In a surprise, Gov. Bill Ritter (D) announced on Jan. 6, 2010 that he would not seek a second term.  Mayor Hickenlooper (D) announced his candidacy on Jan. 12, 2010 and was unopposed for the Democratic nomination.
 
Several Republicans entered the race initially seeking to challenge Ritter.  First in, in March 2009, was Evergreen businessman Dan Maes.  Former U.S. Rep. Scott McInnis, who was first elected to Congress in 1992 and served six terms finishing in Jan. 2005, announced in early July 2009.  Senate Minority Leader Josh Penry also announced in July, but on Nov. 10 he dropped out and endorsed McInnis.  McInnis was strongly backed by the GOP establishment.  Maes had support of tea party elements but lagged in fundraising.  At the Colorado Republic State Assembly in Loveland in May, Maes achieved a narrow upset win.  Both candidates continued to the Aug. 10 primary (>).  However in mid-July, the Denver Post broke a story showing that McInnis had committed obvious plagiarism in a series of "Musings of Water" articles he had written back in 2005 for which he received reported payments of $300,000.  When the primary votes were tallied, Maes defeated McInnis by 197,629 votes to 192,479.

Meanwhile, former U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo (R), who had urged both Maes and McInnis to quit the race, announced on July 26 he would seek to run under the banner of the American Constitution Party.  He replaced Ben Goss as the ACP nominee.

In Colorado, the Governor/Lt. Governor ticket appears on the ballot as a team.  Hickenlooper introduced Joe Garcia, president of CSU Pueblo, as his running mate on Aug. 5.  On Aug. 17 Maes tabbed Tambor Williams, a former state representative, to join his ticket.  On Aug. 24, Tancredo announced his selection of Pat Miller, who was elected to the State House in 1990 but defeated in her 1992 re-election bid.

There were nine debates:
 
Sept. 11 - Club 20 coalition, Grand Junction [Hickenloooper, Maes];

Sept. 17 - NCLA and Progressive 15, Loveland (>);

Sept. 25 - Action 22 coalition, Colorado Springs (>);

Oct. 5 - KMGH-TV ABC7, Denver;

Oct. 12 - The Pueblo Chieftain, at Sangre de Cristo Arts and Conference Center in Pueblo;

Oct. 13 - The Denver Post and KUSA-TV NBC9, at University of Colorado medical campus in Aurora;

Oct. 14 - Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry, Denver;

Oct. 22 - KDVR-TV FOX31, Denver;

Oct. 29 - KCNC-TV CBS4, Denver (>).

In what was effectively a three-person race, Tancredo, who had served five terms in the Congress through Jan. 2009 (and ran for president in 2007), eclipsed the rookie politician Maes and presented the strongest challenge to Hickenlooper.
 

Campaign Managers:
John Hickenlooper:  Mike Melanson
(reported Jan. 2010)  Campaign manager on Mark Udall's successful 2008 campaign for U.S. Senate.  Senior associate at Ikon Public Affairs, Apr. 2005-Mar. 2007.  University of Denver-Sturm College of Law, 1997.  Ski instructor at resorts in Angel Fire, New Mexico and Winter Park, Colorado.

Tom Tancredo:  Bay Buchanan
Chaired Tancredo's presidential campaign in 2007.  Campaign manager on her brother Pat Buchanan's presidential campaigns in 1992, 1996 and 2000 (Reform Party).  Candidate for California State Treasurer, 1990.  Treasurer on President Reagan's 1984 re-election campaign.  Treasurer of the United States, 1981-83.  Treasurer on Reagan's 1980 presidential campaign.  Treasurer on Reagan's 1976 presidential primary campaign.  Master's degree in mathematics from McGill University, 1973; bachelor's degree in mathematics from Rosemont College, 1971.

Dan Maes:  George Culpepper
(mid-Sept. 2010)  Previously campaign manager on Scott McInnis' campaign for Governor.




See also:
Frank Bruni.  "The John Hickenlooper Exception."  The New York Times Magazine, Jan. 5, 2011.

David Catanese.  "Tom Tancredo's quiet rise in Colorado."  Politico, Oct. 28, 2010.

Colorado Public Radio interviews: John Hickenlooper (Oct. 20), Tom Tancredo (Oct. 21), Dan Maes (Oct. 22).
 
Jessica Fender.  "Tancredo ups pressure on Maes to quit Colorado governor's race."  The Denver Post, Oct. 21, 2010.

Nicholas Riccardi.  "Republican Party ditches GOP nominee for Colorado governor."  Los Angeles Times, Sept. 15, 2010.

Steven K. Paulson.  "Tancredo eyes switch from GOP to run for Colo. gov."  The Associated Press, July 26, 2010.

Karen Crummy.  "Tancredo warns McInnis, Maes to quit GOP governor's race or he'll run."  The Denver Post, July 22, 2010.

Steven K. Paulson.  "Researcher: McInnis lying about plagiarism."  The Associated Press, July 15, 2010.

Stephanie Simon.  "Plagiarism Claims Stir Colorado Race."  Wall Street Journal, July 15, 2010.

Jessica Fender.  "Ritter ends re-election bid."  The Denver Post, Jan. 6, 2010.

"Colorado Ethics Watch Requests Formal Inquiry Into McInnis' Campaign Activity."  Colorado Ethics Watch, May 7, 2009 press release via Colorado Pols.
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