Tom Tancredo considering a run for governor in 2014
May 15, 2013 6:56 PM GMTUpdated: 05/15/2013 12:56:13 PM MDT By Kurtis Lee
The Denver Postdenverpost.com

Former Republican congressman Tom Tancredo, during a panel discussion March 7th, 2012. (THE DENVER POST file | ANDY CROSS)

Former Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, known for his hard-line stances on immigration, is seriously considering a run for governor in 2014.
Contacted Wednesday by The Denver Post, Tancredo said he has not made a final decision on whether to run.
In 2010, Tancredo ran in a tumultuous gubernatorial contest as a third-party candidate, netting more than 35 percent of the vote in a lopsided Democratic victory by then Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper. Republican candidate Dan Maes received 11 percent of the vote.
Tancredo has since switched his party affiliation back to Republican.
Tancredo, who represented Colorado's 6th Congressional District from 1999 to 2009, strongly opposes amnesty for anyone in the country illegally and advocates for increased border security.
In an op-ed for The Christian Post in March, Tancredo wrote that "the problem is that not one congressman or major commentator has called for deporting all 12 million illegal immigrants. Rather, we argue that strict enforcement of employer sanctions and allowing local police to cooperate in immigration enforcement will encourage most illegals to, in Mitt Romney's words, 'self-deport.' "
Political analyst Floyd Ciruli said a Tancredo run for governor would put him at odds with a national Republican strategy of courting more Latino voters.
"With comprehensive immigration reform being seriously discussed in Washington, Republicans are making a concerted effort to appeal to more Latino voters — a critical and growing demographic in the electorate," Ciruli said.
In 2012, Latino voters largely supported Democratic candidates.
Here in Colorado, Democrats recently passed a measure that would grant in-state tuition rates to students in the country illegally, which received some Republican support. Still, a measure allowing those in the country illegally to possess a form of a state issued driver's license received zero Republican backing.
In the coming months, prospective Republican candidates are expected to announce their intentions for the 2014 race.
So far, however, no Republican with widespread name recognition has committed to running against Hickenlooper or Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Udall.
A Denver Post article from February listed everyone from Sen. Greg Brophy of Wray, to outgoing Attorney General John Suthers as possible candidates to challenge Hickenlooper in 2014.
Kurtis Lee: 303-954-1655, klee@denverpost.com or twitter.com/kurtisalee

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