Recently, people have told me in comments to blog notes that a vote for Tom Tancredo is a vote for John Hickenlooper, implying that Maes has a substantially better chance to beat Hick than Tancredo does.

Putting aside for the moment the possibility that a judge migh remove Tancredo from the ballot later today, my response was that I thought Tancredo had a better chance to beat Hick than Maes does – though still a very small chance – and that therefore it was a vote for Maes that’s more like a vote for Hick.

A Rasmussen Reports poll released today shows Tancredo now leading Maes by 25% to 21% but both still well behind John Hickenlooper’s 46%.

Maes’ weak showing will be self-reinforcing (whether or not Tancredo remains on the ballot).  It’s become clear he can’t and shouldn’t win, and his being behind a third party candidate will put a fork in what minuscule fund-raising ability he might have remaining.

Conservatives and Republicans should abandon this race and focus their time, energy, and money on winning back at least one house of the state legislature as well as getting Republicans elected to the US Congress and Senate.