Former Congressman and 2010 American Constitution Party gubernatorial candidate Tom Tancredo is the first Republican to make the GOP’s primary in a crowded race for governor.
The Secretary of State’s office announced in an email that 13,158 of Tancredo’s 16,634 submitted signatures were valid.
Tancredo finished second in the 2010 governor’s race against Democrat John Hickenlooper. He entered the race over disgruntlement with Republican nominee Dan Maes, who finished third.
Bob Beauprez, who lost the 2006 gubernatorial election to Democrat Bill Ritter, is also going the petition route. He turned in more than 21,000 signatures on the March 31 deadline, a few days after Tancredo. Beauprez’s signatures are still being reviewed for validity.
Five other Republicans will compete at Saturday’s GOP state assembly in Boulder. Candidates need 30 percent of the delegate vote to make the June 24 primary ballot.
If four — or even five — candidates make the primary ballot, it sets up a race in which a candidate could win with just more than 25 percent of the vote.
The winner will face Hickenlooper on Nov. 4.
