My sources inside the Douglas County Republican Party report that they held a Central Committee meeting today to help resolve some of the issues surrounding the controversy over party volunteer leadership supporting third-party gubernatorial candidate Tom Tancredo. About 180 of 350 eligible Central Committee members (including elected officials, Executive Board, District Captains and Precinct Committee People) participated. According to sources, two bits of news to share:
- In a straw poll to measure support for governor, the 180 respondents voted 27 percent for Republican Dan Maes and 67 percent for Tom Tancredo, with 1 percent going to Democrat John Hickenlooper and 5 percent still undecided.
- An attempt to remove voting privileges of Central Committee members who openly support non-Republican candidate Tom Tancredo fell short of even receiving the initial 25 percent needed to begin the process and give notice.
One source who was present says:
The meeting was efficient and cordial. The District Captains did not want to have a witch hunt, and most of them stressed the need for Party unity…not meaning that we needed to think alike, but that we needed to work together effectively for the coming election.
The weakening, fading Maes campaign lacks the basic grassroots support to conduct a party purge. With plummeting poll numbers and Dan Maes himself sending signals of trying to find a dignified way to drop out of the race (while also praising Democrat Hickenlooper’s “moderate business acumen,” the news from Douglas County — deep-red Colorado Republican territory — is no surprise. But an interesting development nonetheless, one that signals a small but growing hope of success for conservatives in the upcoming governor’s race.
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