Posted on 12/20/2007 4:11:53 PM PST by pissant
DES MOINES -- Congressman Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., ended his bid for the presidency just two weeks before the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses Thursday, handing fellow Congressman Duncan Hunter a loss and giving Mitt Romney a gain.
Tancredo announced Thursday afternoon what many speculated -- he's stopping his efforts to seek the Oval Office.
Tancredo then endorsed Republican Romney.
"Congressman Tancredo ran a spirited campaign focused on issues that are important to many Americans," Romney said. "I thank him for his support. While we don’t agree on every issue, we agree on the need to keep America strong. I look forward to working with him and other Republicans to achieve that end."
That move surprised many Republican insiders, who thought the congressman might swing his support to Fred Thompson. Thompson was endorsed Monday by Iowa Congressman Steve King, a close friend of Tancredo's. King also weighed in on Tancredo's decision, and praised his efforts in moving the illegal immigration debate.
"The measure of his success is in the platforms of every Republican candidate and even in that of the Democrats," King said. "No candidate has had so profound an effect on any public policy of America. Every Republican has taken the no amnesty pledge and adopted a tough-on-illegal-immigration stance. Tom Tancredo has been so successful that much his political capital has been co-opted by his opponents."
However, Hunter may have been surprised about the Romney endorsement. Just two hours earlier at an IowaPolitics.com-Drake University forum in Des Moines, Hunter's Iowa campaign director Greg Grant said Tancredo had a gentleman's agreement with the fellow congressman.
"I believe his departure will benefit Duncan Hunter the most," Grant said a couple hours before the Tancredo announcement. "Duncan and Congressman Tancredo had a gentlemen's agreement if one of them backed out they would support the one that is still in the race. When you look at Tancredo's objective as far as immigration, Duncan is right in line with Tom Tancredo's issue."
Tancredo has been very critical of the Republican's stance on illegal immigration and said it was a driving factor why he entered the race.
"For the past 10 years I have dedicated my public life to the critical issue of illegal immigration," Tancredo said. "I believed then –as I do now—that massive uncontrolled illegal immigration threatens our survival as a nation. I could not stand by and let open border politicians and corporate lobbyists sell our country out to the highest bidder. Then earlier this year when I feared that the issue would not be championed by any of the top candidates I threw my hat in the ring. It was the only way I could be certain that the candidates would be forced to take a stand."
Tancredo has been very critical of national frontrunner Rudy Giuliani about his stance on illegal immigration. Romney has also criticized the former mayor for allowing New York to be a "sanctuary city."
There was a sense Nov. 13 that Tancredo saw his campaign sinking as he acknowledged he likely wouldn't be elected president. He said Grover Cleveland was the last member of the U.S. House to be elected president.
With the Iowa caucuses just 14 days out, many were curious why Tancredo would pull the plug on his campaign unless he could shape the outcome of the caucus. Romney and Huckabee are locked in a tight battle for the Jan. 3 title, and one Republican insider thinks that endorsement could make a difference with Tancredo supporters who closely follow the immigration issue.
Well, maybe. If the race is close, *in your state*, when it comes time for the primary in your state, you might choose to "vote against" someone who is near the top, by voting for someone else also near the top. But if someone that you can at least accept is leading by a comfortable margin, *in your state*, then by all means vote for Hunter, if you feel he is the best candidate. That's my plan, and I think he is the best, but to deny delegates from my state to Romney, McCain, or especially Guilliani, I'd vote for Thompson, who at this point I evaluate as the second best at being able to actually do the job the way I'd like it done.
I’ve lost respect for Tancredo; he obviously picks RINOS over true Conservatives like Hunter or F. Thompson!
Romney is a RINO on immigration and MANY other issues..(imo)!
So he cast his own beliefs and positions aside?
Sorry, you may wish that to be the reason, but it isn't, I think.
Not if one party in the agreement is willing to support a lib, its not
Not only that, but we have to fill it in, or the water and the 'gators will be back.
chose
d’oh
I don’t get the implication. If you have a large family, you are wise?
There's a hint as to why Tancredo didn't want to throw his support at fellow House member Duncan Hunter...
Excerpt:
Now, here is where my plea for Mormons to simply tell the truth comes in. This is America. You can believe anything you want.
If you want to believe that God was once a human being, that Jesus was his physical son, that you can become a God yourself, that Jesus and Satan were brothers, you can certainly do so.
But tell the truth! If you believe it, be proud of it—don’t try to hide it.
I don’t care what Hugh says; I don’t have ANY respect for Hugh Hewitt the RINO enabler..!
Hunter might get more media attention, this way.
I just wanted to hear his spin. He treated Tanc like dirt on his program. I stopped listening some time back after the nauseating Mitt cheerleading got out of hand.
The Potomac river water has some weird mojo in it.
“Romney is a RINO on immigration and MANY other issues..(imo)!”
At least he has better record than Fred Thompson. Romney vetoed pro-illegal bills early on in his tenure, long before illegals were such a big campaign issue. Thompson voted against enforcement bills when in senate. Talk is cheap. I’m amused to see how Tancredo is now a RINO or a man with no integrity. Things really are different in fredworld.
Tancredo is probaly the guy with highest integrity possible and he really cares about the problem and wants to get it solved. Endorsing Romney - who has a real record, good plan and energy and money to win - is the logical solution for Tancredo.
If Tancredo and Bork are the “RINOs” here, then I’m proud to be a “RINO”!
It makes me sick!!!!!!
You don’t know that....
Hmmm...
This is why I love FR. Good stuff for political junkies!
Travis, your post surprises me.....:(
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