Despite GOP efforts, tea party candidate gets on ballot

DENVER - Dan Maes likes to brag about taking down the political machine in becoming Colorado's Republican gubernatorial nominee. The way he's going, it may be the only victory in a short-lived political career.

Republicans spent the week desperately trying to get the tea party favorite to quit the race amid a series of embarrassing missteps that culminated with bizarre claims about his shadowy undercover law enforcement career in Kansas in the 1980s.

But Maes vowed to stay, and Colorado Secretary of State Bernie Buescher certified Maes' place on the November ballot Friday.

That means the party is likely stuck with Maes, who says he's in the race for voters who are fed up with the political establishment.

"People are sick and tired of power brokers and they're sick and tired of the machine," the former businessman said.

Any ballot change now would have to be approved by clerks in all of Colorado's 64 counties, Buescher said.

It all adds up to an eventful ticket in the race to replace Democrat Bill Ritter, who is stepping down.

Maes faces Denver's quirky Democratic mayor, John Hickenlooper, a brew pub owner and restaurateur with ample funding. Also in the race: Tom Tancredo, who quit the GOP and qualified for the ballot as a third-party candidate. Tancredo has alienated many his hardline stands on illegal immigration and remarks that Mecca should be bombed if the United States suffers another terror attack.

Maes has never been far away from attention-getting headlines himself.

He paid a $17,500 fine for campaign finance violations. He vowed to fire 2,000 state workers "just like that" if elected, even though it may be illegal. He drew international ridicule when he suggested a Denver bike-sharing program is part of a United Nations conspiracy to control American cities.

Then he started talking about his law enforcement career in Kansas in the 1980s. Maes claimed he was fired by the police department in Liberal, Kan., because police and politicians were corrupt. He said he worked undercover for state investigators. But the Kansas Bureau of Investigation denied Maes ever worked for them, and Liberal's police department won't talk about Maes.

Prominent Republicans, including former Sen. Hank Brown and Senate candidate Ken Buck have abandoned Maes, as have several prominent tea party leaders. All cited character issues with Maes.