The death of the immigration reform bill in the U.S. Senate Thursday has some people wondering if Tom Tancredo’s presidential campaign will now deflate. The Rocky Mountain News’ M.E. Sprengelmeyer asks: “Does Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado get to dance on the bill’s grave — only to find out that he has lost his biggest rallying point?”
Sprengelmeyer brings up an interesting question. Certainly, the high-profile fight over the immigration bill has given Tancredo access to the media spotlight. Now that the bill is dead, how does he continue fueling his campaign? But, others could argue, Tancredo’s cardinal rally cry was not to defeat the immigration reform measure (although he noisily decried it as amnesty), but to “secure the borders!” Tancredo can still sing that song, but will anybody be listening?
continued…But there’s something else that could derail Tancredo’s underdog campaign: rumors that he could be dropping out. The Web site Right Wing World, citing an anonymous Tancredo aide, reported yesterday that the congressman would abandon his presidential campaign if he didn’t finish in the top four of the Iowa Straw Poll in August. But, the Web site fails to mention, Tancredo actually has a decent chance of hitting that mark since John McCain and Rudy Giuliani are skipping the event. According a recent Des Moine Register poll, Tancredo is tied for sixth place among likely Republican caucus participants. Take McCain and Giuliani out of the picture, and he’s tied for fourth place.
But just the suggestion that Tancredo might drop out could stem what relatively little money is flowing into his campaign. The Right Wing World story, which was titled, “Tancredo may drop out of ’08 campaign,” drove one person to comment, “Damn I was about to contribute to his ass. Glad I read this.”
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