Election 2010: Dan Maes' dark horse campaign for governor has some legs: the Evergreen businessman had little money or clout going into the Republican Assembly: that didn't stop him from topping front-runner Scott McInnis.

• Position: [2010] ELECTION - Interview

In the weeks leading up to the Republican Assembly in May, the media already had called the gubernatorial race as a contest between former U.S. Rep. Scott McInnis, the GOP front-runner, and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, the lone Democrat.

Someone forgot to tell Dan Maes, who edged McInnis by 16 votes. Maes, 49, will have to raise a lot of money in a hurry to be in the running, but he certainly has some newfound clout. We talked with Maes at the ColoradoBiz offices. Watch video highlights from the interview and read the complete transcript at cobizmag.com.

The following was edited for space and clarity.

Mike Cote, ColoradoBiz editor

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ColoradoBiz: Up until the Republican assembly, you were not widely known. But you said you were not that surprised by your performance and were expecting this.

Dan Maes: We've put over 70,000 miles on our cars over the last 15 months around this state. Nobody's been around the state more than I have listening to the people, hearing what's important, mostly connecting with them. We also had polling going on, and phone calling going on to the delegates. We had a pretty good sense of what was happening when we walked in, and we're pleased with the results.

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ColoradoBiz: Why do you think that's happening? Obviously the Tea Party movement has been a factor for you and for Ken Buck in the Senate campaign.

Maes: It's not just about the Tea Party. We're attempting to unite the Republican institution with the conservative revolution. There are people in the Republican institution who are also just as unhappy with what's going on.

ColoradoBiz: Why should voters choose a businessman with no previous political experience to be their governor?

Maes: I don't owe anybody, and nobody owes me. I can create fresh relationships. People can start fresh with me with no baggage. And it's time we put a real business manager/executive into an executive office.

ColoradoBiz: The Legislature just finished one of its most difficult sessions ever, and business took some hits during the budget slashing. What would you have done differently?

Maes: I would have done something differently a few years ago if I was governor. We would have retained our energy industry in this state and told them in a very clear message that we want to be one of the strongest energy-producing states in the country. That includes our traditional fossil fuels and also new energy. If we would have retained those jobs in this state, and the secondary and tertiary jobs related with that industry and encouraged small business instead of over-regulated them and over-taxed them, then we wouldn't have been in this situation.

ColoradoBiz: With TABOR (the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights), state government is restricted on how it can spend. We have state and municipal government in trouble, they can't pay for services; they're furloughing people. How would you fix that?

Maes: They're struggling, and it's because of the overall economic situation of our state. But here's the thing no one talks about, and it mystifies me. Why is no one talking about shrinking government at the state level? If we cut the size of government, tax dollars go back in the taxpayers' pockets, and that stimulates the economy, and that's one piece that...