Eric Lach October 29, 2010, 8:33 AM

“Miracles can happen.”

Those were the words of encouragement offered to Colorado Republican nominee Dan Maes by some of his few remaining supporters at a small event earlier this week, according to The Denver Post.

Miracles are what it has come to for Maes. His candicacy has gone from surprising (after winning the primary) to ludicrous (the undercover cop scandal, the paltry fundraising) to well, kind of sad: PPP polling says Maes is in “a class of his own as the most unpopular candidate running for office anywhere in the country this year.”

The Post reports that Maes was “visibly worn” at the Monday event, one of the two remaining scheduled events left for his campaign (he plans to appear at a debate on Friday). The once-defiant underdog struck a philosophical tone, and seemed to have no illusions about the state of the race.

“You’re in a heckuva jam… . Is it possible we’re going to split? Probably,” Maes said. “This is not just about the governor’s race anymore. It’s about the future of the Republican Party.”

On election day, Maes won’t even watch the results come in with other state Republicans. Instead, the Post reports: “While most Metro Area Republican candidates will watch the returns together at a Doubletree in Greenwood Village, Maes and his crew are trucking down to a Colorado Springs brewery Nov. 2. The party’s at the Colorado Mountain Brewery.” Hey, at least there will be beer. And who can blame Maes for not wanting to be around other Republicans if he ends up getting less than 10% of the vote and relegates them to minor party status for the next four years?

The TPM Poll Average for this race shows Democrat John Hickenlooper (47.0) leading third-party candidate Tom Tancredo (41.2), with Maes (7.9) far behind.

2010 elections, CO-GOV, Dan Maes, John Hickenlooper, Tom Tancredo