On the same day he received his first two formal endorsements since winning Tuesday’s primary, Republican gubernatorial nominee Dan Maes on Friday was forced again to answer questions about his campaign finances.
Former Senate president John Andrews and current Republican National Committeeman Mark Hillman said they are backing Maes.
“Dan won the nomination through a combination of hard work and rock-solid conservative values, and he’s earned my support in the process,” Hillman said in a statement.
The endorsements were good news for the upstart candidate following reports earlier this week that he would be given the silent treatment from many party leaders.
But Maes, who paid a record $17,500 Thursday for campaign finance violations, was once again fielding questions about his bookkeeping.
In an interview with George Brauchler, who was filling in for Peter Boyles on his KHOW-630 morning radio show, Maes said he couldn’t remember if cash given to him by Freda Poundstone was a campaign contribution or to help with his mortgage or other family matters.
Thursday, he told The Denver Post that Poundstone, a former mayor of Greenwood Village, gave him $300 as a contribution, not as a gift to help him pay the mortgage, as she maintained.
“Honestly, I don’t remember, George. She gave a $300 contribution and it was done under my request to say ‘Hey we need funds to move forward’ and that was the agreement it was taken under,” Maes said. “If she wants to read more into it about that we were financially struggling, and I might even made the comment that ‘We’re tight right now, we need every contribution we can get.’ I just don’t remember the conversation that well.”
Maes said he “may have” received financial assistance during his campaign from family members.
He also said he demanded that his supporters give money to him for the campaign.
“I said it was time to pony up financially if you want to be seriously involved in this campaign,” he said.
Maes, who never reported a $300 contribution from Poundstone in campaign finance filings, has alternatively blamed a former treasurer and new software launched by the secretary of state’s office for what he calls a “squabble” stemming from “overregulation” of campaign finance rules. He characterized the allegations as “annoyances and distractions” and dismissed them as a “publicity stunt” by those opposing his candidacy.
He also said Poundstone, now supporting third-party candidate Tom Tancredo, and others wanted a “seat at the table” and when they didn’t get it, left.
“Hell hath no fury, if you know what I mean,” he said.
An additional campaign-finance problem for Maes could be that he says Poundstone gave him $300 cash, which would be a violation of campaign finance laws that prohibit cash donations of more than $100.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
Karen Crummy: 303-954-1594 or kcrummy@denverpost.com
