July 15, 2010 05:43 PM UTC

Tancredo: McInnis Will Exit Race

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• by: Colorado Pols

UPDATE #4: Speaking with talk-radio host Peter Boyles this morning, Tom Tancredo said “I’m up for it, I’d do it, but I don’t know how we can get it done” in response to a question about running for governor himself. (H/T dwyer, MADCO)

UPDATE #3: Be that as it may, now up on Scott McInnis’ Facebook page:

It would seem that Colorado Republicans still have some things to, you know, work out here.

UPDATE #2: NBC News, there’s that phrase again:

*** Dead man walking in Colorado? After being accused of plagiarism, Colorado GOP gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis, once the overwhelming favorite to win the Republican nomination next month, looks like a dead man walking. The filing deadline has already passed, but we can report that serious Colorado Republicans are exploring a Plan B to get a viable candidate to take on Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper (D) in the fall. [Pols emphasis]

UDPATE: Schrager’s story now updated (link below) with McInnis spokesman Sean Duffy denying Tancredo’s assertion that McInnis will soon exit the race. Developing.

Breaking over at 9NEWS, Adam Schrager posted a few minutes ago:

Former U.S. Congressman Tom Tancredo told 9NEWS Thursday morning he has heard Republican candidate Scott McInnis will end his candidacy to become Colorado’s next governor.

Tancredo says the latest developments Wednesday night “probably sinks the ship.” The gubernatorial candidate was holding a conference call Thursday morning with the senior members of his campaign staff.

The former presidential candidate also called for McInnis to resign his candidacy. He is the first Colorado Republican to call for McInnis to resign from the race.

If this is true, then it means the question of who will succeed McInnis–and how that succession will be carried out–has been worked out by GOP strategists and attorneys. We’ve heard a couple of possibilities on how that might play out, including interpretations of the law that might allow McInnis to be replaced before the primary.

We, like everybody, are working hard on additional confirmation of what Tom Tancredo asserts here, and we caution against taking what he says as gospel until that happens.