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[[Image:Tom Tencredo.jpg|right|175px|thumb|U.S. Representative Tom Tancredo]]

[[Image:Tom Tencredo.jpg|right|175px|thumb|U.S. Representative Tom Tancredo]]

'''Thomas Gerard "Tom" Tancredo''' (born 1945) was a member of the House of Representatives from 1999 to 2008, and in 2010 was the American [[Constitution Party]] nominee for Governor of Colorado. He announced his intentions to run after he claimed the [[Republican]] candidate chosen by the GOP leadership in [[Washington, D.C.]] had no serious chance of winning the seat. That candidate, Dan Maes, polled in the single digits and garnered just over 11% of the vote. Tancredo served as a [[conservative]] Republican Congressman representing the suburbs of [[Denver]] and was outspoken against [[illegal immigration]].<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2006/03/29/DI2006032901468.html</ref>  Often vilified by [[liberals]] and targeted for defeat, he was re-elected in 2006 in a landslide by a margin of 59%-40%.  He announced his retirement from the House in hopes of winning the [[White House]], though he withdrew from the presidential race in December 2007. In 2011, he returned to the Republican Party.

'''Thomas Gerard "Tom" Tancredo''' (born 1945) was a member of the House of Representatives from 1999 to 2008, and in 2010 was the American [[Constitution Party]] nominee for Governor of Colorado. He announced his intentions to run after he claimed the [[Republican]] candidate chosen by the GOP leadership in [[Washington, D.C.]] had no serious chance of winning the seat. That candidate, Dan Maes, polled in the single digits and garnered just over 11% of the vote. Tancredo served as a [[conservative]] Republican Congressman representing the suburbs of [[Denver]] and was outspoken against [[illegal immigration]].<ref>https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2006/03/29/DI2006032901468.html</ref>  Often vilified by [[liberals]] and targeted for defeat, he was re-elected in 2006 in a landslide by a margin of 59%-40%.  He announced his retirement from the House in hopes of winning the [[White House]], though he withdrew from the presidential race in December 2007. In 2011, he returned to the Republican Party.

Tancredo strongly supported U.S. President [[Donald Trump]]'s nomination of [[Neil Gorsuch]] to the Supreme Court and the Senate's ability to confirm him.<ref>Tancredo, Tom (April 8, 2017). [http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/04/08/tancredo-thanks-mr-president-mitch-mcconnell-gop-political-home/ Tancredo: Thanks Mr. President and Mitch McConnell, the GOP Is My Political Home Again]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved April 8, 2017.</ref>

Tancredo strongly supported U.S. President [[Donald Trump]]'s nomination of [[Neil Gorsuch]] to the Supreme Court and the Senate's ability to confirm him.<ref>Tancredo, Tom (April 8, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/04/08/tancredo-thanks-mr-president-mitch-mcconnell-gop-political-home/ Tancredo: Thanks Mr. President and Mitch McConnell, the GOP Is My Political Home Again]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved April 8, 2017.</ref>

==Political Views==

==Political Views==

Tancredo entered the Presidential race in April 2007 because, he asserted, no other candidate was willing to take a strong stance on immigration.<ref>Zeleny, Jeff. "The 2008 Campaign: Rep. Tancredo of Colorado Enters GOP Presidential Race." April 30, 2007. New York Times.</ref> His campaign announcement was scrutinized by the media which felt he was running on a single issue platform. In fact, the nature of his campaign as a whole was highly criticized for being drastically underfunded, reliant on conservative talk radio show appearances and affiliated largely with right-wing conservative groups.<ref>Zeleny, Jeff. "The 2008 Campaign: Rep. Tancredo of Colorado Enters GOP Presidential Race." April 30, 2007. New York Times.</ref> His anti-immigration issue was vilified in the liberal media during the height of controversy for anti-immigration advocate Lou Dobbs, who had attributed increasing leprosy rates to illegal immigration.<ref>Leonhardt, David. "Truth, Fiction, and Lou Dobbs." May 30, 2007. New York Times.</ref> The New York Times quickly branded the two as ''"demogogues"''.<ref>Downes, Lawrence. "When Demogogues Play the Leprosy Card, Watch out." June 17, 2007. New York Times.</ref>

Tancredo entered the Presidential race in April 2007 because, he asserted, no other candidate was willing to take a strong stance on immigration.<ref>Zeleny, Jeff. "The 2008 Campaign: Rep. Tancredo of Colorado Enters GOP Presidential Race." April 30, 2007. New York Times.</ref> His campaign announcement was scrutinized by the media which felt he was running on a single issue platform. In fact, the nature of his campaign as a whole was highly criticized for being drastically underfunded, reliant on conservative talk radio show appearances and affiliated largely with right-wing conservative groups.<ref>Zeleny, Jeff. "The 2008 Campaign: Rep. Tancredo of Colorado Enters GOP Presidential Race." April 30, 2007. New York Times.</ref> His anti-immigration issue was vilified in the liberal media during the height of controversy for anti-immigration advocate Lou Dobbs, who had attributed increasing leprosy rates to illegal immigration.<ref>Leonhardt, David. "Truth, Fiction, and Lou Dobbs." May 30, 2007. New York Times.</ref> The New York Times quickly branded the two as ''"demogogues"''.<ref>Downes, Lawrence. "When Demogogues Play the Leprosy Card, Watch out." June 17, 2007. New York Times.</ref>

He heavily campaigned in [[Iowa]] in an attempt to place high in the unofficial [[Iowa Straw Poll]]. In August 2007, fellow Republican presidential primary contestant [[Sam Brownback]], attacked Tancredo for allegedly receiving money from the "founder of a [[Planned Parenthood]] network."<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2007/07/26/VI2007072601105.html</ref> The Tancredo campaign stated that they did not endorse funders' values and that the allegations did not line up with Tancredo's consistent [[pro-life]] voting record and statements.<ref>Tancredo on Abortion, http://www.ontheissues.org/Sam_Brownback.htm</ref> Leading conservatives asked Brownback to retract the claim, although he refused.<ref>http://www.rightwingwatch.org/individuals/john_tanton/index.html</ref>

He heavily campaigned in [[Iowa]] in an attempt to place high in the unofficial [[Iowa Straw Poll]]. In August 2007, fellow Republican presidential primary contestant [[Sam Brownback]], attacked Tancredo for allegedly receiving money from the "founder of a [[Planned Parenthood]] network."<ref>https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2007/07/26/VI2007072601105.html</ref> The Tancredo campaign stated that they did not endorse funders' values and that the allegations did not line up with Tancredo's consistent [[pro-life]] voting record and statements.<ref>Tancredo on Abortion, http://www.ontheissues.org/Sam_Brownback.htm</ref> Leading conservatives asked Brownback to retract the claim, although he refused.<ref>http://www.rightwingwatch.org/individuals/john_tanton/index.html</ref>

Tancredo verbally attacked other fellow Republican presidential primary candidates, including [[Mitt Romney]], Sam Brownback, [[Fred Thompson]] and [[Mike Huckabee]]. Former governor Mike Huckabee stated that Tancredo's ad claiming Huckabee held a pro-amnesty position was "blatantly dishonest", and that Tancredo's campaign either did sloppy research or deliberately mischaracterized his position.<ref>http://www.rightwingwatch.org/individuals/john_tanton/index.html</ref>

Tancredo verbally attacked other fellow Republican presidential primary candidates, including [[Mitt Romney]], Sam Brownback, [[Fred Thompson]] and [[Mike Huckabee]]. Former governor Mike Huckabee stated that Tancredo's ad claiming Huckabee held a pro-amnesty position was "blatantly dishonest", and that Tancredo's campaign either did sloppy research or deliberately mischaracterized his position.<ref>http://www.rightwingwatch.org/individuals/john_tanton/index.html</ref>

==2010 Midterms==

==2010 Midterms==

Despite a late surge, Tancredo lost the 2010 Gubernatorial election to John Hickenlooper, losing 51%-36.5%-11%. [[Dick Morris]]: [http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/TomTancredoPollcolorado/2010/09/15/id/370345 "Tom Tancredo Surges in Poll for Colorado Governor."] As he closed in down the stretch, he used quotes such as the one below on his Facebook page to rally support:

Despite a late surge, Tancredo lost the 2010 Gubernatorial election to John Hickenlooper, losing 51%-36.5%-11%. [[Dick Morris]]: [https://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/TomTancredoPollcolorado/2010/09/15/id/370345 "Tom Tancredo Surges in Poll for Colorado Governor."] As he closed in down the stretch, he used quotes such as the one below on his Facebook page to rally support:

{{cquote|This is our way of life. Fight for it. This is our flag. Pick it up. This is our [[Colorado|state]]. Take it back.}}

{{cquote|This is our way of life. Fight for it. This is our flag. Pick it up. This is our [[Colorado|state]]. Take it back.}}

==External links==

==External links==

*[http://www.tancredoforgovernor2010.org/ Campaign website]

*[http://www.tancredoforgovernor2010.org/ Campaign website]

*[http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tancredo-for-Governor-2010/135354983166883 Facebook page]

*[https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tancredo-for-Governor-2010/135354983166883 Facebook page]

*[http://twitter.com/ttancredo Twitter page]

*[https://twitter.com/ttancredo Twitter page]

*[http://www.youtube.com/user/tancredomediafiles YouTube channel]

*[https://www.youtube.com/user/tancredomediafiles YouTube channel]

*[http://tancredo.house.gov/ House Website]

*[http://tancredo.house.gov/ House Website]

*[http://www.ontheissues.org/Tom_Tancredo.htm Tancredo's Voting Record]

*[http://www.ontheissues.org/Tom_Tancredo.htm Tancredo's Voting Record]

*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fS3ShRWB_GA Tom Tancredo CNN video discussing Sotomayor]

*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fS3ShRWB_GA Tom Tancredo CNN video discussing Sotomayor]

{{Conservatism}}

{{Conservatism}}