As a longtime Republican Party member, supporter and activist, I have struggled with the choices I am left with in this year’s election of Colorado governor. The Republican nominee is extremely flawed and I won’t vote for the Democrat.
Therefore, I have chosen to relinquish my right to vote for governor; I will be an intentional undervote. Like a governor who allows legislation to pass without his signature, I am not satisfied with my options but am fully aware of the consequences of my actions.
I judge any candidate on what I know about him (or her). What is his record of accomplishment, in either the private or public sector? What is his body of work — that is, the manifestation of his character? What makes him special?
First, what little I do know about Republican candidate Dan Maes: He grew up in underprivileged circumstances and graduated from college before becoming a salesman of telecom products and then credit-counseling services. He briefly owned and ran a small business. All acceptable and not too different from many people I know personally.
And Maes espouses many of the conservative policy positions with which I agree. Generally speaking, he seems to be for more personal freedoms and responsibilities and less government involvement in our lives.
Nevertheless, I am not convinced. We only have his word because he’s got nothing left to inspect. He has been naïve or blatantly political on issues like immigration, oil and gas drilling, Piñon Canyon and the state budget. Maes now holds the record for the biggest campaign fine for a candidate in state history. And a large portion of his total money raised has literally gone into his own family’s pockets through salary or reimbursements.
Furthermore, he has made bizarre observations linking the Denver bike program to efforts by the United Nations to take over the city. Or railing against itemized billing by energy companies (I fear how he would apply this to government). And his professional record indicates his business acumen to be average at best.
Now questions have arisen about Maes’ integrity, including unreported cash contributions to his campaign account and embellishment of his law enforcement experience.
It would be one thing if Maes had a notable record by which we could judge his credentials. If Ronald Reagan, Lee Iacocca or John Elway had missed filing a few annual business reports on time or been stopped by police for expired license plates — as Maes has — we would overlook it in the context of their entire careers and accomplishments. The same can be said for the likes of Ken Buck and John Suthers because they both have a much greater body of work.
On the other hand, those marks on Maes’ record play a proportionally larger role on his otherwise thin and undistinguished resume.
Ultimately, his words and his deeds do not measure up to someone who is qualified to be Colorado’s next governor. His total body of work is not exceptional by any means. Serious flaws have been highlighted about his judgment, his ethics, and his overall leadership skills. Consequently, I cannot cast a vote for Dan Maes.
Notably, I am not voting for American Constitution Party candidate Tom Tancredo either. He could have run as a Republican earlier in the process. More to the point, I favor the Republican platform and don’t think that the validation of a third party is good for the long-term prospects of the Republican Party or the country.
Instead, I am making a stand for both principle and party. By undervoting, I am supporting the continued integrity of the Republican Party and admitting that I would rather live with divided government than have a careless and inconsistent Republican governor who would put the party and the state in greater jeopardy.
Jack Stansbery is a former executive director of the Colorado Republican Party and a longtime party activist now residing in Highlands Ranch.
