Tancredo Exits Race, Backs Romney
USA Today reports Rep. Tom Tancredo, "who built his longshot presidential campaign on opposition to illegal immigration, dropped out Thursday and endorsed Republican rival Mitt Romney as the best man to carry on the fight." Tancredo "said he decided to drop out in part because of concern that staying in could split the vote for other candidates who have taken a hard line on immigration, helping those who would take a less restrictive approach." Tancredo "identified former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Arizona Sen. John McCain as two Republican candidates whose records indicate they wouldn't be tough enough on immigration."
The Washington Times reports Tancredo "said that by continuing to run, he feared he would muddle voters' decisions, forcing them to split their votes among several candidates and possibly allowing someone weaker on immigration to gain his party's nomination. 'Unfortunately, several of them have abysmal records on immigration and can't be trusted to do what is needed to preserve this country if they're elected,' he said. 'My fear is that if I were to stay in this race my votes could be the factor in handing victory to a pro-amnesty politician.' He told reporters in Iowa yesterday that" McCain and Huckabee "are the worst of the lot, while Mr. Romney had a record of fighting illegal entry as governor of Massachusetts."
The Los Angeles Times reports, "In a brief written statement," Romney thanked Tancredo "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.'"
Tancredo argued yesterday that his candidacy had been a success, saying on MSNBC's Tucker, "I feel really honestly at great peace. I've done everything I can do. I set out a series of goals for us when we did this thing. ... America has the issue. It's not Tom Tancredo. I don't have to breathe life into it anymore. America has got it and these guys, they've got to respond."
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