Third-Party Candidate Hurts Republican Nominee for Governor

Photo: Colorado Times Recorder

Danielle Neuschwanger, a Republican from Elbert County who missed the nomination for governor at the recent state convention, has announced she will run as a third-party candidate for governor on the American Constitution Party ballot. The consensus view is that she will hurt the Republican nominee to be decided at the primary on June 28.

The leading candidate, Regent Heidi Ganahl, said she hopes Danielle will join her to beat Jared Polis, but that “running on a third-party isn’t going to help.”

In a Sean Price article in the Colorado Times Recorder, I said:

“We assume that Polis is ahead in a head-to-head with either of the two potential Republican nominees, and obviously if there is a conservative candidate out there she will draw votes on the Republican side of this,” Ciruli said. “Whether it is a modest amount or a greater amount there will be some level of conservative votes diverted to this third-party candidate. No doubt about it.”

Floyd Ciruli, who founded Ciruli Associates, a research and consulting firm, brought up the 2010 Governor’s race in Colorado when asked about Neuschwanger’s impact.

In 2010, former U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) ran for Governor as a member of the American Constitution Party, drawing support away from Dan Maes, the Republican nominee. That year current U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) won the election with 51% of the vote. Tancredo received 36% while Maes won just 11%.

“It has the potential to be like the 2010 gubernatorial election,” Ciruli said, “I’m not sure she’s a Tancredo but I understand she’s pretty wild. She knows how to get attention and as you know the party has an angry sense about it. A sense of grievance.”

Ciruli clarified that Neuschwanger likely won’t have as much of an impact as Tancredo did in 2010, but her presence will definitely hurt Republicans if she stays in the race.