Thread: Tancredo stumps in key presidential primary state

http://www.currentargus.com/ci_4310445

Tancredo stumps in key presidential primary state
TESTING WATERS?
By Anne C. Mulkern
Denver Post Staff Writer
DenverPost.com

Washington - While most U.S. House members are back home campaigning for re- election this weekend, Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado is crossing South Carolina on a different kind of campaign.

Tancredo, a Littleton Republican, is shaking hands and talking politics in a five-day swing through a state that will hold one of the earliest presidential primary elections in 2008.

Beginning in early 2005, Tancredo said he'd consider running for president to push his hard-line views on illegal immigration. Then in April he told The Denver Post a presidential bid no longer seemed necessary, as immigration had become a dominant political issue.

Tancredo's people insist it's just a coincidence he's back in a key presidential primary state.

"He's not there as a presidential candidate," said Steve Durham, spokesman for Tancredo's congressional re-election campaign.

Tancredo wants to continue to shape the immigration issue, and "what better way than for him to go out there and basically continue to stoke the flames?" Tancredo congressional spokesman Carlos Espinosa said.

Tancredo in January rode a Winnebago through 10 Southern states talking about immigration in a campaign he called "Secure America Now."

The lawmaker "certainly is positioning himself as a national candidate," said Amy Walter, who analyzes U.S. House races for the Cook Political Report. "Fundamentally he wants to play a role in shaping the (immigration) debate."

Tancredo's challenger for the 6th District seat, Democrat Bill Winter, said the Republican's frequent trips outside Colorado put him out of touch with his constituents.

"They don't know whether he's running for president or running for Senate, but he's certainly not running for his own seat in Congress," Winter said, alluding to talk that Tancredo might seek a Senate seat in 2008 if GOP incumbent Wayne Allard retires.

Winter said his polls show he's about even with Tancredo. Durham said polls done for the Tancredo camp show him up by "about 20 points."

Tancredo won re-election in 2004 with 59 percent of the vote. No Democrat has ever been elected in the largely suburban 6th District since it was created in the early 1980s. Republicans typically take more than 60 percent of the vote there.

Tancredo aides insist they're not counting on victory.

"You never relax," Durham said. "You also don't miss an opportunity to learn and shape the agenda on an issue important to your constituents."

Tancredo's planned South Carolina stops included meeting with Republicans in at least three key counties, talking to students at Clemson University and a community college, and attending a Baptist church service. He also has a political fundraiser in North Carolina on his agenda.

Tancredo appears to be hitting all of the important locations in South Carolina for a Republican who might be interested in having a voice in the presidential election, said Rick Beltram, chairman of the Spartanburg County (S.C.) Republican Committee.

Tancredo stopped first Thursday at the Republican campaign headquarters in Spartanburg County, where he spoke on what he thinks Republicans should do on the budget, Iraq and immigration. He talked about his Christian faith and how that shaped his values, Beltram said.

The impression Tancredo gave was that he's at least "testing the waters for a presidential run," Beltram said.

Tancredo's position on immigration is probably "too far to the right" of many South Carolina Republicans, Beltram said. Many Mexican immigrants work in the county, he said, but people are opposed to continued illegal immigration.

I'd love to see this man run for President. I'd certainly cross party lines to vote for him.

I would vote for him too. He's smart; he's dedicated; he's the most committed person I've ever seen. He's been stumping this long before I was even aware of the level of the problem. He just doesn't quit or tire and I admire those qualities so much.

GO TOM!!!!

He's a patriot for all of us. I hope he runs!!