Tom Tancredo Runs for Governor – KOA Interview

Tom Tancredo announced a run for governor to “shake up the race.” As we blogged on October 13, Tom Tancredo will start as the Republican frontrunner. He’s mainly running because about a fifth of the Republican Party is extremely anti-immigration, illegal or otherwise, and he is the most anti-immigrant candidate. Also, Tom is well-known since his third race for governor. In the 2010 governor’s race, his first effort, he stated that the Republican nominee was a sure loser. He was right. The stakes are higher this year with an open seat, and several Republican candidates appearing to have the qualifications for governor and capable of winning a general election.

Tom Tancredo, Sept. 21, 2017 | Ernest Luning/Colorado Politics

Tom may have a floor of about 20 percent, reflecting the party’s far right, but he also has a ceiling among Republicans for whom his losing record will be a bar, as is his history of comments that will make powerful negative ads.

Although primaries are sometimes destructive of a party’s chances in the general election, the Republican who can fight for the party’s base and unite a sufficient number of the pragmatists could be a stronger candidate in the fall. Tancredo claims he lost the 2014 primary for governor due to late expenditures by opponents. A lack of funding may well be a problem this year. Tancredo is trying to use some of Steve Bannon’s celebrity status to increase his credibility and raise some funds.

A recent poll shows, not surprising, Tancredo starts with 22 percent of the Republican vote. Although the poll’s credibility is unknown and the initial positions are mostly name identity, it has been a boon to Democrats ready to use it for fundraising. Tancredo is good to unite the left.