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Tancredo to announce presidential bid
Staff and agencies
30 March, 2007

By JENNIFER TALHELM, Associated Press Writer 11 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Colorado Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo, an outspoken opponent of illegal immigration, will announce his bid for president on Monday.

Tancredo has flirted with a presidential bid for more than a year and began raising money for the effort in January. After taking in more than $1 million in two months, he has decided to make his run official, said the official, who asked not to be named ahead of Tancredo‘s official announcement.

Tancredo spokesman Carlos Espinosa would say only that Tancredo will announce his intentions and that his decision whether to run for president won‘t affect whether he will run again for his House seat.

Tancredo, a five-term House member who represents the Denver suburbs, is a leading supporter of securing the nation‘s Southern border with Mexico and cracking down on illegal immigration. He has used the issue to take on President Bush , , ), a leading contender for the GOP nomination.

McCain last year co-sponsored a bill creating a path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the country now, though he has played a smaller role in the issue this year.