Tancredo: Not All That is Over is Past

According to "a person close to [Rep. Tom] Tancredo," his major announcement tomorrow will be his withdrawal from the Republican contest for nomination. Hot Air and Politico had speculation that this would be the case.

I found this paragraph particularly interesting:

Fears about illegal immigration boosted Tancredo's profile, but it didn't translate into support as reflected by his low standing in national and state polls and his limited fundraising. In part, candidates such as Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani usurped Tancredo's hardline stance on the issue, prompting the congressman to quip at one debate that "all I've heard is people trying to out-Tancredo Tancredo."

I'm not convinced that Romney or Giuliani have actually adopted Tancredo's position on illegal immigration; they certainly do better saying the right things (e.g. Romney's ad "Change Immigration"), but, like John McCain's belated adoption of "border security first," there is a gap between their rhetoric and their prior actions.

Back in May, Tancredo said it well:

I am glad to see conversions. I'm glad they happen. But I must tell you, I trust those conversions when they happen on the road to Damascus and not on the road to Des Moines.

I haven't been a supporter of Tancredo, and I tended to poke fun at him for his one-note campaign. But I am still grateful for his service, and I'm hoping that he chooses to run for Colorado's open Senate seat when Wayne Allard retires next year. Good luck, Congressman.

UPDATE: Tancredo's wife says, "Not so fast."

She said media outlets “jumped the gun” by reporting Wednesday afternoon that her husband definitely had decided to quit the race.

Earlier in the day, Tancredo told FoxNews, “I will neither confirm nor deny that report.” But he also added, “I wouldn’t have a press conference if I didn’t have anything to say.”

Jackie Tancredo said the situation has “changed hourly,” and on Wednesday night there still was a “slim” chance that her husband would continue his uphill battle, which now finds him near the bottom of the polls in Iowa and nationally.

posted by Gabriel Malor at 01:32 AM

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