Tom Tancredo

Tancredo was born in Denver, Colorado, the son of Adeline (née Lombardi) and Gerald Tancredo. All four of his grandparents emigrated from Italy.{{cite web |url=http://www.wargs.com/political/tancredo.html |title=Ancestry of Tom Tancredo |author=William Addams Reitwiesner |publisher=Wargs.com |access-date=October 16, 2010}} He grew up in the then-predominantly Italian neighborhood of North Denver, and attended St. Catherine's Elementary School and Holy Family High School.Robert Sanchez, [http://www.5280.com/magazine/2011/02/down-but-not-out?page=full "Down but not out"], 5280, Feb. 2011. He graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a degree in political science. Tancredo was active with the College Republicans and a conservative organization, Young Americans for Freedom (YAF).

As a Republican student activist Tancredo spoke in support of the Vietnam War. After graduating from the University of Northern Colorado he became eligible to serve in Vietnam in June 1969. Tancredo has said he went for his physical, telling doctors he had been treated for depression, and eventually got a "1-Y" deferment.{{cite news |url=http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_3255494 |work=The Denver Post |title=Firebrand Tancredo puts policy over party line|date=November 27, 2005 |access-date=November 9, 2009 |author= Anne C. Mulkern }}

In 1976, while teaching history at Drake Junior High School in Arvada, he ran for and won a seat in the Colorado House of Representatives. He served two terms (1977–1981) and was one of the leaders of a vocal group of conservative legislators opposing the policies of Colorado Governor Dick Lamm.{{cite web |url=http://rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/3006 |title=Tom Tancredo |publisher=Right Web |date=February 6, 2008 |access-date=October 16, 2010}} During the 1970s, Tancredo pioneered opposition to bilingual education, an issue that would remain a feature of his political orientation.

Tancredo was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to be the regional representative in Denver for the Department of Education in 1981. He stayed on through President George H. W. Bush's administration in 1992, and pared the office's staff from 225 to 60 employees. He became president of the Independence Institute in 1993, a conservative think tank based in Golden, Colorado, serving there until his election to Congress. He was a leader in the Colorado term limits movement.

File:TomwithGW2004.jpg George W. Bush in 2004]]

After Dan Schaefer decided not to run for a seventh full term in the 6th Congressional District in 1998, Tancredo narrowly won the five-way Republican primary, and the election in November. He was only the second person to represent the 6th District since its creation in 1983 (former astronaut Jack Swigert was elected as the district's first congressman in 1982, but died before taking office). Despite his promise to serve only three terms in Congress,[https://web.archive.org/web/20070215023812/http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5281105,00.html "Allard: No third term"] M.E. Sprengelmeyer, January 15, 2007, Rocky Mountain News he decided to run for a fourth term and won re-election.

Tancredo's outspoken advocacy for immigration reform, and particularly his criticism of President George W. Bush's border security controls, reportedly made him persona non grata in the Bush White House.{{cite magazine |last=Crowley |first=Michael |date=March 28, 2005 |title=On the Hill: Border War |url=https://ssl.tnr.com/p/docsub.mhtml?i=20050328&s=crowley032805 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050423114016/https://ssl.tnr.com/p/docsub.mhtml?i=20050328&s=crowley032805 |archive-date=April 23, 2005 |access-date=April 18, 2007 |magazine=The New Republic}} According to Tancredo, he and Bush's political adviser, Karl Rove, got into a "screaming match" after Tancredo claimed that "if the nation suffered another attack at the hands of terrorists able to skirt immigration laws, the blood of the people killed" would be on Bush's and Congress' hands. Rove responded by calling Tancredo "a traitor to the party" and "a traitor to the president," and warned him to never "darken the doorstep of the White House."

In an interview, Tancredo said his falling out with the White House has lasted. "One reason I am persona non grata at the White House is not just because of immigration... but because I refuse to support him on his trade policy, his education policy, Medicare and prescription drugs initiatives.... Here was a Republican Congress increasing government to an extent larger than it had been increased since Medicare had come into existence." Tancredo reported that his career in Congress was threatened by the leadership because of his stances. "I was called into Tom DeLay's office because I was supporting Republican challengers to Republican incumbents. I had a group called Team America that went out and did that. He called me and said to me, 'You're jeopardizing your career in this place by doing these things.' And I said, 'Tom, out of all the things you can threaten me with that is the least effective because I do not look at this place as a career.'"

• Foreign Affairs Committee
• Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health
• Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade
• Natural Resources Committee
• Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands

Tancredo sponsored the Sudan Peace Act.{{citation |url=http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:H.R.5531: |title=Sudan Peace Act (H.R. 5531) |date=October 2, 2002 |access-date=October 16, 2010 |archive-date=December 16, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121216024209/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:H.R.5531: |url-status=dead }} The Sudan Peace Act says "A viable, comprehensive, and internationally sponsored peace process, protected from manipulation, presents the best chance for a permanent resolution of the war, protection of human rights, and a self-sustaining Sudan." The Act passed the House of Representatives with a 359–8 vote, was passed unanimously in the Senate without amendment seven days later, and was signed into law on November 21, 2002.

Tancredo introduced the Mass Immigration Reduction Act. The act would have imposed an indefinite moratorium on immigration to the United States. Under the act, only spouses and children of American citizens would be allowed to immigrate, which Tancredo estimated would amount to 300,000 immigrants annually.{{Cite news| issn = 1930-2193| pages = A.01| last = Kelly, Denver Post Staff Writer| first = Sean | title = Tancredo, Lamm try to close U.S. doors Immigration bill calls for 5-year ban | work = The Denver Post | date = August 9, 2001 | id = {{ProQuest|410705633}}}} The moratorium would last for at least the first five years of the act and, after that, until such time as there were fewer than 10,000 illegal immigrants entering per year. When those conditions were met, immigration would only have been allowed at whatever level the president and both houses of Congress agreed would have no adverse impact on wages, housing, the environment, or schools. When last introduced in 2003, the bill had 11 cosponsors. Organizations that have endorsed Tancredo's bill include: NumbersUSA, Population-Environment Balance, Carrying Capacity Network, Federation for American Immigration Reform, Negative Population Growth, and the American Patrol. Tancredo introduced the bill in 2001 (H. R. 2712){{cite web | url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/107th-congress/house-bill/2712 | title=H.R.2712 – Mass Immigration Reduction Act of 2001 | publisher=United States Congress | date=August 1, 2001 | access-date=January 23, 2015}} and 2003 (H. R. 946).{{cite web | url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/108th-congress/house-bill/946 | title=H.R.946 – Mass Immigration Reduction Act of 2003 | publisher=United States Congress | date=February 26, 2003 | access-date=January 23, 2015}} Tancredo did not re-introduce the bill in 2005. In 2007, he proposed an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to "establish English as the official language of the United States", (H.R. 19).{{cite web | url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/110th-congress/house-joint-resolution/19 | title=H.J.Res.19 – Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to establish English as the official language of the United States. | publisher=United States Congress | date=January 18, 2007 | access-date=January 23, 2015}}

In 2005, Tancredo introduced{{citation |url=http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c109:H.CON.RES.69.IH: |title=Expressing the sense of Congress that the United States should resume normal diplomatic relations with the Republic of China on Taiwan, and for other purposes (H. Con. Res. 69) |date=February 16, 2005 |access-date=October 16, 2010 |archive-date=October 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018233123/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c109:H.CON.RES.69.IH: |url-status=dead }} a resolution calling on the president to recognize the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and to abandon the One-China policy. He has been critical of the People's Republic of China. This has since been modified and reintroduced as H. Con. Res. 73.{{cite web |url=http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:HC00073:@@@L&summ2=m& |title=Expressing the sense of Congress that the United States should resume normal diplomatic relations with Taiwan (the Republic of China), and for other purposes (H. Con. Res. 73) |date=February 16, 2007 |access-date=October 16, 2010 |archive-date=September 18, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918051800/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:HC00073:@@@L&summ2=m& |url-status=dead }}

{{Main|Tom Tancredo 2008 presidential campaign}}

File:Congressman Tom Tancredo campaigns in Adel.jpg

In February 2005, Tancredo announced he would seek the Republican nomination for president if all other candidates failed to address the illegal immigration problem.

On February 9, 2006, Tancredo addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC),{{cite web|url=http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_15/c3979075.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060406095047/http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_15/c3979075.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 6, 2006 |title=Immigration Reform: Why Business Could Get Burned |work=Bloomberg BusinessWeek |date=April 10, 2006 |access-date=October 16, 2010}} the annual conference of the American Conservative Union.{{cite web|url=http://www.conservative.org/pressroom/2006/cpac_speeches.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060601223108/http://www.conservative.org/pressroom/2006/cpac_speeches.asp|title=American Conservative Union|archive-date=June 1, 2006}} He scored 5% of the vote in the 2008 CPAC straw poll.

On January 16, 2007, Tancredo announced that he formed an exploratory committee on seeking the presidential nomination of the Republican Party. He said that the Republican Party needs someone who can offer America a "common sense agenda".{{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFx-VNuLyUA |title=Congressman Tom Tancredo Announces Run For Presidency |publisher=YouTube |access-date=October 16, 2010 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001054425/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFx-VNuLyUA |archive-date=October 1, 2007 }}

A spokesman for Tancredo's exploratory committee has confirmed that he would not run on a third party platform, and that "they've had no intention to run as a third-party candidate, ever, and we'll never consider that because he's a Republican, period."{{cite news |url=http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/elections/article/0,2808,DRMN_24736_5314612,00.html | title=Tancredo rules out 3rd-party candidacy| newspaper=Rocky Mountain News | date=January 30, 2007 | first=M. E. | last=Sprengelmeyer | access-date = January 30, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070920185022/http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/elections/article/0,2808,DRMN_24736_5314612,00.html |archive-date = September 20, 2007}}

On February 13, the American Conservative Union issued ratings for potential presidential candidates.{{cite web|url=http://www.conservative.org/archive2/2008potus.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091018163856/http://www.conservative.org/archive2/2008potus.asp|title=ACU: Ratings for the Likely 2008 Presidential Candidates|archive-date=October 18, 2009}} Tancredo took first with a lifetime ranking of 99 out of 100. The website ConservativesBetrayed.com polled 525 people who attended CPAC 2007, and 88.1% believed that Tancredo would govern as a conservative. Newt Gingrich polled next at 87.9%.{{cite web|url=http://www.conservativesbetrayed.com/gw3/articles-latestnews/articles.php?CMSArticleID=959&CMSCategoryID=19 |title=Poll at CPAC Shows Overwhelming Support for New Republican Leadership; Few Believe Bush or Congress Learned From Mistakes; Tancredo, Gingrich, Brownback Seen as Most Conservative |publisher=ConservativesBetrayed.com |date=May 9, 2007 |access-date=January 28, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071022043204/http://conservativesbetrayed.com/gw3/articles-latestnews/articles.php?CMSArticleID=959&CMSCategoryID=19 |archive-date=October 22, 2007}}

At the 2007 CPAC conference, held March 1–3, Tancredo was ranked sixth in the CPAC straw poll, with 9%, when first and second choices were combined.{{cite web |url=http://www.conservative.org/documents/3-07_CPAC_Straw_Poll.ppt |title=Archived copy |website=www.conservative.org |access-date=17 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070306063415/http://www.conservative.org/documents/3-07_CPAC_Straw_Poll.ppt |archive-date=6 March 2007 |url-status=dead}}

On April 2, 2007, Tancredo announced that he would run for president in the 2008 election. This announcement was made on 1040 WHO Talk Radio in Iowa. He denounced other Republican candidates for their lack of consistency on the illegal immigration issue, the issue on which Tancredo will run. In early April, he also participated in what was billed as the first online presidential debate, against fellow Republican and presidential candidate Duncan Hunter.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrrROk7Yu9c |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/rrrROk7Yu9c| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|title=Online Presidential Debate 1.1 |publisher=YouTube |date=April 8, 2007 |access-date=October 16, 2010}}{{cbignore}}

In his speech in 2007 to CPAC, Tancredo said:{{cite web|url=http://www.conservative.org/pressroom/2007/speech_tancredo.asp |title=Congressman Tom Tancredo addresses CPAC |publisher=American Conservative Union |date=March 2, 2007 |access-date=January 28, 2015 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070702024858/http://www.conservative.org/pressroom/2007/speech_tancredo.asp |archive-date=July 2, 2007 }}

If you want to call me a single-issue candidate, that's fine, just so long as you know that my single issue is the survival and the success of the conservative movement in America.

In a May 3, 2007, debate among the ten candidates for the 2008 Republican Presidential nomination, Tancredo was one of three who raised their hands when asked if anyone did not believe in the theory of evolution.{{cite web|url=http://www.timesdaily.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070513/NEWS/705130336/-1/COMMUNITIES |title=Questions show depths GOP has sunk |work=Times Daily |date=May 13, 2007 |access-date=October 16, 2010}}

On August 10, 2007, Rep. Tom Tancredo's presidential campaign reportedly was the victim of an e-mail hoax on the eve of the Republican Party straw poll in Ames, Iowa. The Des Moines Register reports that a hoax e-mail sent on Friday to almost 500 Tancredo supporters told them—falsely—that chartered buses to ferry them to the daylong events had either been cancelled or delayed.{{cite web|url=http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5668719,00.html |title=Hoax aimed at Tancredo's straw poll chances |newspaper=Rocky Mountain News |date=August 11, 2007 |access-date=January 28, 2015 |author=M. E. Sprengelmeyer |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070729091241/http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5668719,00.html |archive-date=July 29, 2007 }}

On September 5, 2007, during a visit to Concord, New Hampshire, Tancredo made it clear that he supports strictly enforcing immigration laws and deporting all illegal immigrants. He believes so-called sanctuary policies provide safe havens for criminals. Tancredo also mentioned his support of the building of a fence between Mexico and the United States, and that mayors and city council members who adopt sanctuary city policies should face criminal charges. He urged New Hampshire Governor John Lynch to veto an upcoming immigration bill and demanded the ouster of the bill's sponsors.

On November 13, 2007, the Tancredo campaign released an ad called "Tough on Terror" in which a hypothetical terrorist attack occurs in a shopping mall. The ad blames inept border security for the attack and flashes images of an injured child and a wrecked train. A voiceover comments, "There are consequences to open borders beyond the 20 million aliens who have come to take our jobs... the price we pay for spineless politicians who refuse to defend our borders against those who come to kill."{{cite news| url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,311279,00.html | publisher=Fox News Channel | title=Tom Tancredo Airs Graphic New Ad in Iowa Depicting Terrorist Attack | date=November 13, 2007}}

On his 62nd birthday December 20, 2007, Tancredo ended his candidacy for the 2008 Republican Presidential nomination, and endorsed Mitt Romney.[https://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2007-12-19-tancredo_N.htm?csp=34 Tancredo drops out, endorses Romney] USA Today. Retrieved December 20, 2007.

Individual contributions made up most of the campaign cash that Tancredo had received, being about 97% of his total pocketbook. He granted himself $200 for his campaign and received no federal funding. $88,457 of his money came from interest from the campaign's bank accounts and loans from outside sources. The majority of Tancredo's funds were not disclosed.{{cite web |url=http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/summary.asp?id=N00006103&cycle=2008 |title=2008 Presidential Election: Tom Tancredo Campaign Money |publisher=Opensecrets.org |access-date=October 16, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070508224251/http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/summary.asp?id=N00006103&cycle=2008 |archive-date=May 8, 2007 |df=mdy-all }}

{{main|2010 Colorado gubernatorial election}}

File:2010 Colorado gubernatorial election results map by county.svg, and counties in red went for Dan Maes. Darker shades indicate higher percentages of the vote.]]

After he ended his run for president, Tancredo decided against running for reelection.{{cite web |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/12/08/america/NA-US-Tom-Tancredo.php |title=Search – Global Edition – The New York Times |work=International Herald Tribune |date=March 29, 2009 |access-date=March 20, 2010}} Former Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez said he spoke to Tancredo about possible runs for governor or Senate in 2010.{{cite web |url=http://www.politicker.com/colorado/5734/beauprez-tancredo-discuss-2010-gubernatorial-run |title=Politics |work=The New York Observer |access-date=March 20, 2010}}{{Failed verification|date=October 2010}}

Tancredo spoke at the Constitution Party's national committee meeting on October 23, 2009.{{cite web|url=http://www.independentpoliticalreport.com/2009/08/tom-tancredo-will-address-constitution-party-meeting/ |title=Tom Tancredo will address Constitution Party meeting |publisher=Independent Political Report |date=August 19, 2009 |access-date=January 28, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090825013842/http://www.independentpoliticalreport.com/2009/08/tom-tancredo-will-address-constitution-party-meeting/ |archive-date=August 25, 2009 }}

In July 2010, Tancredo warned the two Republican candidates for governor, Scott McInnis and Dan Maes, that he would launch a third-party bid as candidate of the Constitution Party's Colorado branch if the Republican primary winner was behind in general election polling and did not drop out. Tancredo felt that McInnis was unelectable because his plagiarism scandal had exposed him as "basically a fraud," while Maes' campaign finance violations likewise made him unelectable.{{cite web |url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0710/40139.html |title=Tancredo threatens third party run |website=Politico |date=July 22, 2010 |access-date=July 23, 2010}} Tancredo subsequently announced that he was going ahead with plans to run as a Constitution Party candidate.{{cite web |url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0710/40219.html |title=Tancredo pulls third-party trigger |website=Politico |date=July 26, 2010 |access-date=July 26, 2010}}

Tancredo selected Pat Miller as his running mate.{{cite web|url=http://gazette.com/tancredo-picks-pat-miller-as-running-mate/article/103519|title=Tancredo picks Pat Miller as running mate|newspaper=The Gazette|date=August 24, 2010|access-date=January 6, 2018}}{{cite web|url=http://www.westword.com/news/tom-tancredo-has-a-new-running-mate-pat-miller-not-michelle-malkin-5886132|title=Tom Tancredo has a new running mate -- Pat Miller, not Michelle Malkin|author=Calhoun, Patricia|newspaper=Westword|date=August 24, 2010|access-date=January 6, 2018}}

Tancredo placed second in the election with 36.5 percent of the vote, well ahead of Maes, the Republican Party candidate.

In January 2011 Tancredo re-registered as a Republican, saying it is the "only game in town".{{cite news|title=Politics briefs|work=Tulsa World |location=Tulsa, Oklahoma|date=January 19, 2011|page=A.7}}

{{main|2014 Colorado gubernatorial election}}

Tancredo announced he would run for governor again in 2014. He was angry at Colorado governor John Hickenlooper because Hickenlooper had passed gun restrictions, and because Hickenlooper had granted a stay of execution for Nathan Dunlap, the man responsible for the 1993 Aurora, Colorado shooting that killed 4. He lost the Republican primary to Bob Beauprez, who went on to lose the general election to Hickenlooper.

{{main|2018 Colorado gubernatorial election}}

File:Tancredo ColoroLogo-e1509430587871.png

On October 31, 2017, Tancredo announced he would run for Governor of Colorado a third time. His bid was fueled in part by Republican politicians' reluctance to criticize the cancellation of an April 2018 VDARE event where Tancredo was scheduled to speak.{{cite web|url=http://www.denverpost.com/2017/08/23/tom-tancredo-colorado-governor-2018/|title=Tom Tancredo, upset about canceled white nationalist event, weighs another run for Colorado governor|author=Frank, John|newspaper=The Denver Post|date=August 23, 2017|access-date=November 1, 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.denverpost.com/2017/10/31/tom-tancredos-bid-governor-tests-colorados-political-climate/|title=Tom Tancredo's bid for governor tests Colorado's political climate|author=Matthews, Mark K.|newspaper=The Denver Post|date=October 31, 2017|access-date=November 1, 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.aurorasentinel.com/elex-guide/ex-us-rep-tancredo-makes-third-bid-colorado-governor/|title=Former Congressman Tom Tancredo makes third bid for Colorado governor|newspaper=Aurora Sentinel|date=November 1, 2017|access-date=November 1, 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://denver.cbslocal.com/2017/10/31/tom-tancredo-governor-bid/|title=Newly Announced Gov. Candidate Tancredo: 'I Am Not A White Supremacist'|author=Boyd, Shaun|publisher=CBS Denver|date=October 31, 2017|access-date=November 1, 2017}} A central theme of his campaign is strong opposition to illegal immigration, and he vowed to defund the city of Denver due to its status as a sanctuary city.{{cite web|url=http://kdvr.com/2017/10/31/tom-tancredo-officially-joins-race-for-governor/|title=Tom Tancredo officially running for governor, vows to defund Denver if elected|author=St. George, Joe|publisher=Fox 31 Denver|date=October 31, 2017|access-date=November 1, 2017}}

On January 30, 2018, Tancredo announced he was withdrawing from the race.{{cite web|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/371462-tom-tancredo-drops-out-of-colorado-gubernatorial-race/|title=Tom Tancredo drops out of Colorado gubernatorial race|author=Delk, Josh|newspaper=The Hill|date=January 30, 2018|access-date=January 30, 2018}}

Tancredo founded the Team America political action committee in 2004{{cite web|url=http://query.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/dcdev/forms/C00396291/ |title=FEC Electronic Filings by TEAM AMERICA PAC |access-date=October 16, 2010}} in order to raise contributions for congressional candidates who opposed illegal immigration. Campaign laws forced Tancredo to resign from Team America PAC. The PAC was noted for targeting incumbent Congressman Chris Cannon in the 2006 Republican primary.{{cite news|author2=M. E. Sprengelmeyer|author1=Gathright, Alan|title=Tancredo's Drudge campaign: Defeat amnesty, politicians|url=http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5573297,00.html|access-date=December 20, 2015|newspaper=Rocky Mountain News|date=June 6, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517011040/http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5573297,00.html|archive-date=May 17, 2008}} In 2009, reporters discovered that Marcus Epstein, the executive director of Team America, had assaulted an African American woman in 2007, and had used a racial epithet.{{cite web|url=http://washingtonindependent.com/45075/tom-tancredo-and-the-n-word |title=Tom Tancredo Staffer Pleads Guilty to Karate-Chopping Black Woman « The Washington Independent |date=June 2009 |publisher=Washingtonindependent.com |access-date=March 20, 2010}}{{cite web|last=Beutler |first=Brian |url=http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/06/tancredo-aide-pleads-guilty-to-karate-chopping-pedestrian-calling-her-nigger.php |title=Tancredo Aide Pleads Guilty to Karate Chopping Pedestrian, Calling Her 'Nigger' | TPMDC |publisher=Tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com |date=June 1, 2009 |access-date=March 20, 2010}}{{cite news|last=Riley |first=Michael |url=http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_12498081 |title=Tancredo PAC chief part of nominee tiff |work=The Denver Post |date= June 2, 2009|access-date=March 20, 2010}} Tancredo kept Epstein on his staff despite the guilty plea.

In June 2011 Tancredo founded a Super PAC called the American Legacy Alliance to support candidates for federal office who oppose illegal immigration.{{cite news|title=New research shows how vital the role of all Latinos is to the US economy|last=Treviño|first=Marisa|work=La Prensa San Diego |date=August 19, 2011|pages =1, 5}}

File:Tancredo supporters (5056030500).jpg

Tancredo traces his interest in politics to the eighth grade, when he played Fidel Castro in a class assignment. Tancredo urges America to reject "the siren song of multiculturalism" and depicts Islam as "a civilization bent on destroying ours". In July 2005, Tancredo proposed that America respond to any future terrorist attack by bombing Mecca and other holy sites. In September 2006, when Pope Benedict XVI gave a speech quoting a 14th-century Byzantine emperor who said the prophet Mohammed had brought "things only evil and inhuman", sparking Muslim anger throughout the world, Tancredo urged him not to apologize.{{cite web |url= https://www.denverpost.com/2006/09/20/tancredo-tells-pope-to-stand-ground/ |title= Tancredo tells Pope to stand ground |publisher= The Denver Post |date= May 8, 2016 |access-date= June 2, 2022}}{{cite web |url= https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-21417767 |title= Pope Benedict XVI in his own words |date= 11 February 2013 |author= |work= BBC News |access-date= 2 June 2022}}

Tancredo has said that abortion "compromises the sanctity of life" and "attacks the most vulnerable among us: unborn boys and girls". He does not support the granting of federal funds to "any organization that promotes abortion".{{cite web|title=Right to Live|url=http://tancredo.house.gov/issues/issue_righttolife.shtml|website=Tancredo House|access-date=December 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050927182543/http://tancredo.house.gov/issues/issue_righttolife.shtml|archive-date=September 27, 2005}} He voted in favor of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, and in favor of legislation requiring parental notification when a minor seeks an abortion. He received an "A" on the National Right to Life Committee report card,{{cite web|url=http://www.votesmart.org/issue_rating_detail.php?r_id=3432 |title=Project Vote Smart – National Right to Life Committee Rating |publisher=Votesmart.org |access-date=March 20, 2010}} indicating that he votes in Congress on the anti-abortion side of this issue.

In the first Republican debate held on May 3, 2007, Tancredo agreed that the U.S. Supreme Court should overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, adding that it would be "the greatest day in this country's history".{{cite news|last1=Calmes|first1=Jackie|title=Social Issues Prominent in Republican Debate|access-date=December 20, 2015|work=The Wall Street Journal|date=4 May 2007|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB1178200987387909282007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013104433/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117820098738790928.html|archive-date=October 13, 2012}}

Tancredo was criticized by anti-abortion forces for accepting over $20,000 in donations from John Tanton, founder of the Federation for American Immigration Reform and a founder of a Planned Parenthood chapter.{{cite news|title=Brownback, Tancredo squabble over donation|url=http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2007/07/24/news/iowa/ebe11ce44a6502208625732200043ad2.txt|access-date=December 20, 2015|agency=Lee News Bureau|work=Sioux City Journal|date=July 24, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090722103912/http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2007/07/24/news/iowa/ebe11ce44a6502208625732200043ad2.txt|archive-date=July 22, 2009}}

Tom Tancredo is perhaps best known for his opposition to immigration.{{cite web|url=https://www.denverpost.com/2005/11/26/firebrand-tancredo-puts-policy-over-party-line/|title=Firebrand Tancredo puts policy over party line |publisher=Denver Post |date=November 26, 2005 |access-date=2018-04-20}} Tancredo founded the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus in May 1999. He served as its chairman until January 2007, when he turned the chairmanship over to Brian Bilbray.{{cite news|last1=Schor|first1=Elana|title=Anti-immigration poster boy to quit Congress|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/oct/29/usa2|access-date=December 20, 2015|work=The Guardian|date=October 29, 2007}}

Tancredo has called for halting illegal immigration, and a three-year moratorium on all legal immigration to allow those immigrants already in the country to be assimilated. Tancredo called for the deportation of the family of Jesus Apodaca, an undocumented immigrant child in a Denver high school.{{cite web | url = http://www.greeleytrib.com/article/20020929/WORLDSAPART/109290042 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20130124193241/http://www.greeleytrib.com/article/20020929/WORLDSAPART/109290042 | url-status = usurped | archive-date = January 24, 2013 | title = Teen sparks debate on immigrant rights | author = Ochoa, Julio | work = The Tribune | access-date = January 20, 2007 }}{{cite web | url = http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/1690263/detail.html | title = INS Delays Deporting Honor Student | work = The Denver Channel | access-date = January 24, 2007 }}

Tancredo criticized the Denver Public Library system for purchasing reading materials written in Spanish and for offering space for classes to be held for these library users, on the grounds that putting Spanish-speakers in a 'linguistic ghetto' would delay their integration into American society.{{cite web | title = Response from Denver Mayor Hickenlooper to Congressman Tom Tancredo on Spanish language Denver Public Libraries | work =letter | date = June 22, 2005| url = http://www.cairco.org/library/letter_hickenlooper_to_tancredo_2005jun22.html| access-date = September 9, 2010 }}

Tancredo sponsored legislation to eliminate H-1B visas for temporary workers in 2005.{{citation |url=http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:HR01325:@@@L&summ2=m&#summary |title=To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to repeal authorities relating to H1-B visas for temporary workers |date=March 15, 2005 |access-date=October 16, 2010 |archive-date=September 18, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918051946/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:HR01325:@@@L&summ2=m&#summary |url-status=dead }}

Tancredo was the sponsor of a successful, bi-partisan amendment to a Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill that would withhold federal emergency services funds from 'sanctuary cities'.

On July 30, 2007, Tancredo "criticized Congressional Democrats for eliminating a requirement that anyone applying for Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) services provide proof of U.S. citizenship". According to Tancredo, "[t]he new Democrat plan would raise taxes and make it easier for illegal aliens to obtain taxpayer-funded medical benefits."{{cite news|title=Tancredo Blasts Dems for Funding Illegal Alien Healthcare|url=http://tancredo.house.gov/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=1294|access-date=December 20, 2015|publisher=Tancredo House|date=July 30, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926191145/http://tancredo.house.gov/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=1294|archive-date=September 26, 2007}}

Tancredo has made it a point in all of his public speeches to differentiate between those who enter the United States legally and those who come illegally. He frequently attends naturalization ceremonies to support new citizens for "doing it the right way".{{cite web|url=http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/immigration-reforms-point-man/|title=Immigration Reform's Point Man|work=The American Conservative|date=December 16, 2002 }}

In 2006, Tancredo published In Mortal Danger: The Battle for America's Border and Security through Joseph Farah's WND Books in Nashville, Tennessee. The volume focuses on American cultural identity and his proposals to remedy what he contends to be major flaws in the immigration system.Tom Tancredo, In Mortal Danger: The Battle for America's Border and Security, Nashville, Tennessee, 2006, 224 pp., {{ISBN|978-1-58182-527-5}}

On April 17, 2008, Tancredo alleged that Pope Benedict XVI was encouraging illegal immigration to the US to boost membership in the Catholic Church. In response to a statement by the Pope at a Mass in Washington, Tancredo stated, "I suspect the Pope's immigration comments may have less to do with spreading the gospel than they do about recruiting new members of the church." While Tancredo was raised a Catholic, he now attends Cherry Hills Community Church,[https://www.congress.gov/congressional-record/2008/04/17/house-section/article/h2472-3/ Remarking on the Pope's Visit and Illegal Immigration (House of Representatives – April 17, 2008)]. Congressional Record.{{cite news |last=Mulkern |first=Anne C. |date=April 17, 2008 |title=Tancredo slams pope on immigration |url=http://www.denverpost.com/ci_8960784?source=rss |access-date=October 16, 2010 |work=The Denver Post}}{{cite news |last1=Wakin |first1=Daniel J. |last2=Preston |first2=Julia |date=April 20, 2008 |title=Pope Speaks Up for Immigrants, Touching a Nerve |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/us/20catholics.html |access-date=May 25, 2010 |work=The New York Times}} a congregation in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.{{citation |title=About - Cherry Hills Community Church |date=July 14, 2021 |url=https://chcc.org/about/ |access-date=February 12, 2022}}

Tancredo's has staunchly supported tightening immigration requirements from Islamic countries. On September 18, 2008, Tancredo introduced H.R. 6975, the Jihad Prevention Act, which would require aliens to attest that they will not advocate installing a Sharia law system in the United States as a condition for admission, and for other purposes. Aliens failing to make such an attestation would be ineligible for admission. Further, the visa of any alien advocating the installation of a Sharia law system in the United States would be subject to revocation.[http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.R.6975.IH: "HR 6975: Jihad Prevention Act"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018233122/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.R.6975.IH: |date=October 18, 2015 }} Library of Congress THOMAS database. Retrieved July 26, 2009.

In May 2011, Tancredo represented the affirmative with Kris Kobach in a radio-broadcast debate of the motion "Don't give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses." The two debated Mayor Julian Castro of San Antonio and Tamar Jacoby of ImmigrationWorks USA. Tancredo and Kobach were declared the victors based on before and after polling of the live in-attendance audience mostly by convincing much of the self-identified undecided audience members of the strength of the motion.

:Pre-Debate Poll Results: 16% For | 54% Against | 30% undecided

:Post Debate Poll Results: 35% For | 52% Against | 13% undecided[http://intelligencesquaredus.org/index.php/past-debates/americas-house-divided-immigration/ "About the debate"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110507234532/http://intelligencesquaredus.org/index.php/past-debates/americas-house-divided-immigration |date=May 7, 2011 }}, Intelligence Squared US webpage, May 3, 2011. Retrieved May 25, 2011.

Tancredo's anti-illegal immigration stance became a campaign issue during the 2011 Denver mayoral campaign, which Tancredo did not enter. The Chris Romer campaign tried to erode rival Michael Hancock's support among Hispanics by emails and robocalls claiming that Tancredo had endorsed Hancock. Tancredo, who had neither met nor endorsed Hancock, responded by appearing on a radio talk show and endorsing Romer.Patricia Calhoun, [http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2011/05/tom_tancredo_endorsement_denver_mayors_race_viva_chris_romer.php Tom Tancredo endorsement in Denver's mayor race: Viva Romer!], Westword, May 26, 2011.

He was one of 33 congressmen to vote against the renewal of the Voting Rights Act because he asserted that its requirement of multilingual ballots would result in a costly unfunded mandate.[http://www.epluribusmedia.org/features/2006/20060712_votingrights_p1.html Who Really Stalled the Voting Rights Act Renewal] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070410134124/http://www.epluribusmedia.org/features/2006/20060712_votingrights_p1.html |date=April 10, 2007 }} Duke Falconer He was one of a handful of Republicans who voted for an amendment proposed by Maurice Hinchey and Dana Rohrabacher to stop the Department of Justice from raiding medical marijuana patients and caregivers in states where medical marijuana is legal, citing states' rights concerns.[http://www.i2i.org/main/article.php?article_id=1289 Federalism up in smoke] Mike Krause

On the other hand, Tancredo supports Federal action in what he considers its proper sphere. He has suggested state legislators and 'sanctuary city' mayors should be imprisoned for passing laws contrary to federal immigration law.{{cite news|last1=Wang Beverley|title=Tancredo targets New Hampshire 'sanctuary state' bill|url=http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_6806795|access-date=December 20, 2015|agency=Associated Press|work=The Denver Post|date=September 5, 2007}} He also supports the Federal Marriage Amendment to ban gay marriage nationally, and defended this position by stating a constitutional amendment is the "last resort" to neutralize judicial activism that would legalize gay marriage in courts, against the wishes of voters. The amendment would also use Constitutional means to prevent voters and legislators from legalizing gay marriage in their states.{{cite news|title=Tom stands for America: Gay Marriage|url=http://www.teamtancredo.com/tancredo_issues_index.asp|access-date=December 20, 2015|publisher=Team Tancredo|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070530175820/http://www.teamtancredo.com/tancredo_issues_index.asp|archive-date=May 30, 2007}}

The National Taxpayers Union awarded Tancredo a grade of A for each year he has served in Congress. Tancredo was awarded a grade of A for votes he cast in 1999 to 2007 inclusively.{{cite web|title=Thomas Tancredo|url=http://www.ntu.org/state/legislator/thomas-tancredo|website=National Taxpayers Union|access-date=December 20, 2015}} Additionally, Tancredo received the National Taxpayers Union's "Taxpayers' Friend Award" in 1999 to 2006 inclusively as well

NTU's Taxpayer Friends in the House for: [https://web.archive.org/web/20090811063750/http://www.ntu.org/main/page.php?PageID=37 1999],

[https://web.archive.org/web/20060213213533/http://www.ntu.org/main/page.php?PageID=35 2000], [https://web.archive.org/web/20060213213351/http://www.ntu.org/main/page.php?PageID=33 2001], [https://web.archive.org/web/20051011025333/http://www.ntu.org/main/page.php?PageID=31 2002], [https://web.archive.org/web/20051115033903/http://www.ntu.org/main/page.php?PageID=40 2003], [https://web.archive.org/web/20051213032029/http://www.ntu.org/main/page.php?PageID=75 2004], [https://web.archive.org/web/20060601225727/http://www.ntu.org/main/page.php?PageID=96 2005],

[https://web.archive.org/web/20070318055154/http://www.ntu.org/main/page.php?PageID=117 2006] The award is given by the NTU to those members of Congress that are among "the strongest supporters of responsible tax and spending policies".{{cite web|url=http://www.ntu.org/main/page.php?PageID=117|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070318055154/http://www.ntu.org/main/page.php?PageID=117|title=NTU's Taxpayer Friends in the House for 2006|archive-date=March 18, 2007}} He is also a strong supporter of the FairTax and advocates the repeal of the 16th Amendment. He is also against raising minimum wage.

Tancredo's position on Iraq is, "America's noble sacrifice has purchased Iraqis a precious opportunity for democratic change; it is now up to them to ensure success. Setting the President's 'November benchmark for shifting control' as an actual timetable for disengagement will let regional powers and Iraqi factions cooperate to forge a new balance of power."{{cite web|title=Tom stands for America|url=http://www.teamtancredo.com/tancredo_issues_index.asp|website=Team Tancredo|access-date=December 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070829190724/http://www.teamtancredo.com/tancredo_issues_index.asp|archive-date=August 29, 2007 }} Fellow Republican state treasurer Mike Coffman refused to share the stage with Tancredo at a pro-war rally for the Iraq war in 2003 because of Tancredo's failure to serve in the Vietnam War. In 1970 Tancredo appealed his 1-A draft status, which would have put him at the top of the list for draft eligibility during the Vietnam War. Tancredo said he was diagnosed with depression when he was 16 or 17 and received medication for five years for panic attacks and bouts of anxiety and depression.Coffman Left Rally To Protest Tancredo; Lawmaker Supports Iraq War But Didn't Fight In Vietnam, Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO) March 27, 2003

During a 2005 radio interview on Orlando talk-radio station WFLA AM 540, Tancredo responded to a questioner asking about the hypothetical U.S. response to a nuclear attack on U.S. cities by al-Qaeda, by saying that one possible response would be to retaliate by "taking out" Muslim holy sites (specifically, Mecca) if it were clearly proven that Islamic terrorists were behind such an attack. Several days later, in an interview on CNN together with James Zogby, Tancredo said that the attack was mentioned merely as a hypothetical response and insisted that there was nothing for which he should apologize.

During the Republican Presidential Debate broadcast on Fox on May 15, 2007, Tancredo made a statement in passing that the root cause of Islamic terrorism is "a dictate of their religion".{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/15/us/politics/16repubs-text.html?_r=1&oref=slogin | work=The New York Times | title=Republican Presidential Debate in South Carolina | date=May 15, 2007 | access-date=May 25, 2010}} In September 2007 Tancredo defended his remarks: "I still believe it is something we must consider as a possible deterrent because at the present time there are no negative consequences that would accrue to the people who commit a crime such as a nuclear, chemical or biological attack."Interview with Tom Tancredo, David Shankbone, Wikinews, September 25, 2007.

During a July 31, 2007 townhall meeting in Iowa, Tancredo said that a threat to bomb Mecca and Medina was "the only thing I can think of" that could deter a nuclear terrorist attack. This statement drew substantial criticism from the Council on American-Islamic Relations,{{cite news|title=Republican candidate advocates threat to bomb Islamic holy sites as response to terrorist attack on U.S.|url=http://www.pr-inside.com/republican-candidate-advocates-threat-to-r193291.htm|access-date=December 20, 2015|agency=Associated Press|publisher=PR Inside|date=October 2, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014181502/http://www.pr-inside.com/republican-candidate-advocates-threat-to-r193291.htm|archive-date=October 14, 2007}} as well as State Department spokesman Tom Casey, who stated that "To somehow suggest that an appropriate response to terrorism would be to attack sites that are holy and sacred to more than a billion people throughout the world is just absolutely crazy."{{cite news|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/03/america/NA-POL-US-Politics-Diplomacy.php |title=U.S. State Department cringes as presidential hopefuls muddy diplomatic waters |work=International Herald Tribune |date=March 29, 2009|archive-date=October 7, 2008|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081007001934/http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/03/america/NA-POL-US-Politics-Diplomacy.php}}{{cite news|url=http://www.newsroomamerica.com/politics/story.php?id=385930 |title=State Department Rebukes Campaign Sloganeering |publisher=Newsroom America|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071008043337/http://www.newsroomamerica.com/politics/story.php?id=385930| archive-date=October 8, 2007}}{{cite news|url=http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=189608&Sn=WORL&IssueID=30137 |title=Bomb Mecca threat rapped |newspaper=Gulf Daily News |date=August 4, 2007 |access-date=October 16, 2010}}

Tancredo has stated that he would like to see the United States give more support to the Iranian exile organization People's Mujahedin of Iran (PMOI).{{cite web |title=An Interview with Congressman Tancredo |url=http://www.rightwingnews.com/interviews/tancredo.php |access-date=February 12, 2011 |publisher=Right Wing News}} The PMOI was designated as a terrorist organization by the United States State Department from 1997 to 2012.{{cite web |date=April 30, 2007 |title=Terrorists Organizations |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/s/ct/rls/crt/2006/82738.htm |access-date=February 13, 2011 |publisher=U.S. Department of State Country Reports on Terrorism}} Tancredo states that this was done "for political reasons" by the Clinton administration. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton removed the designation of "terrorist organization" when no proof of terrorist activity or intent could be produced.{{cite news |last1=Shane |first1=Scott |date=21 September 2012 |title=Iranian Dissidents Convince U.S. to Drop Terror Label |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/22/world/middleeast/iranian-opposition-group-mek-wins-removal-from-us-terrorist-list.html |access-date=4 October 2021 |work=New York Times}}

Tancredo became one of the outspoken conservative opponents to the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. On May 28, 2009, he made an appearance on CNN to voice his opposition and claimed that Sotomayor was a racist. When CNN's Rick Sanchez asked him if Sotomayor was a racist, Tancredo replied "certainly her words would indicate that that is the truth." He then compared the Hispanic-American advocacy group La Raza to the Ku Klux Klan by saying "it's a Latino KKK without the hoods or the nooses."{{cite web|url=http://coloradoindependent.com/29835/tancredo-attacks-sotomayor-for-belonging-to-la-raza-a-latino-kkk |title=Tancredo attacks Sotomayor for belonging to La Raza, 'a Latino KKK' |date=May 28, 2009 |publisher=The Colorado Independent |access-date=March 20, 2010}}

On February 4, 2010, Tancredo spoke at the National Convention for the Tea Party movement where he told attendees that Barack Obama won because of "people who could not even spell the word 'vote' or say it in English". He then proposed "a civics literacy test" as a prerequisite to voting.{{cite news|url=http://news.bostonherald.com/news/us_politics/view/20100206former_gop_rep_tancredo_civics_literacy_test_should_be_required_to_vote/srvc=home&position=recent|title=Former GOP Rep. Tancredo: civics literacy test should be required to vote|date=February 6, 2010|agency=Associated Press}}{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/WN/tea-party-fireworks-speaker-tom-tancredo-rips-mccain/story?id=9751718|title=Tea Party Fireworks: Speaker Rips McCain, Obama, 'Cult of Multiculturalism'|website=ABC News|access-date=February 5, 2010}} These remarks were criticized by the Democratic Colorado House Speaker Terrance Carroll and the Southern Poverty Law Center's research director Heidi Beirich. Tancredo has denied the charge that his remarks were aimed at a specific group.{{cite news|url=http://www.denverpost.com/politics/ci_14345675|title=Tancredo blasted for poll test idea|access-date=February 6, 2010 | work=The Denver Post|first=Lynn|last=Bartels|date=February 6, 2010}}

On April 14, 2009, a speech by Tancredo at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was disrupted by students protesting his views on immigration in which he called for a civics literacy test before voting.[http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/04/16/UNC-officials-apologize-to-Tancredo/UPI-39691239924071/ "UNC officials apologize to Tancredo"]

Published: April 16, 2009, United Press International

Tancredo has declared himself in favor of the legalization of marijuana. He said that his reasons to legalize marijuana include "The issue of violence that surrounds it—not just on the border—and the crimes all over the place. The number of people in prison and the amount we spend to keep them there. The broken families." While in Congress, Tancredo voted each year to attach an amendment, which never passed, that would have prevented the US Justice Department from spending any money to "enforce any drug laws in contradiction to state law."Patricia Calhoun, "Pot Party," Westword, October 29, 2009, p.11.

Tancredo said in September 2007, "You have to remember that we are always just one kooky judge away from actually having homosexual marriage forced on all the rest of us, because of the [full faith and credit] clause in the U.S. Constitution. Therefore, we need, we absolutely have to have, a constitutional amendment that defines marriage."{{cite web |url=http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/Tom_Tancredo_Civil_Rights.htm |title=Tom Tancredo on Civil Rights |publisher=OnTheIssues.com |access-date=October 21, 2010}} He is in full support of the Federal Marriage Amendment. Due to his numerous stances opposing the gay rights movement, he has received ratings of 7% from the American Civil Liberties Union, 0% from the Human Rights Campaign, and 19% from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.{{Citation needed|date=October 2010}} As of 2007, however, Tancredo boasted a 97.8% rating from the [http://conservative.org/about-acu/ American Conservative Union].Tancredo speech to Family Research Council, October 19, 2007. http://www.frcblog.com/tancredo.pdf

In a speech given at a campaign event for Colorado Senate candidate Ken Buck on July 8, 2010, Tancredo said of President Barack Obama, "... the greatest threat to the United States today, the greatest threat to our liberty, the greatest threat to the Constitution of the United States, the greatest threat to our way of life; everything we believe in. The greatest threat to the country that our founding fathers put together is the man that's sitting in the White House today."Huffington Post{{cite news | url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/08/tom-tancredo-obama-a-bigg_n_640142.html|title=Tom Tancredo: Obama A Greater Threat To The U.S. Than Al-Qaeda Or The U.S.S.R. | work=The Huffington Post | first=Ethan | last=Axelrod | date=July 8, 2010}}YouTube Video {{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s4NGyNoAQY&feature=player_embedded |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/7s4NGyNoAQY| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live| title=Tom Tancredo at Ken Buck's DeMint Rally |website=YouTube|date=July 8, 2010 }}{{cbignore}}

In April 2010, while not addressing directly widespread "birther" sentiment in the Republican Party, Tancredo said at a South Carolina Tea Party rally about the president: "If his wife says Kenya is his homeland, why don't we just send him back?"Condon, Stephanie, [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/white-house-assails-tom-tancredo-for-suggesting-obama-go-back-to-kenya/ "White House Assails Tom Tancredo for Suggesting Obama Go 'Back' to Kenya"], CBS News, April 19, 2010. Retrieved February 8, 2012. On July 22, 2010, in an editorial in The Washington Times, Tancredo said that Congress should bring impeachment charges against President Obama.{{cite news |work=The Washington Times |url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jul/22/the-case-for-impeachment/ |author=Tom Tancredo |title= The case for impeachment: Obama has violated his oath of office over immigration|date=July 22, 2010}} In February 2012, Tancredo said on Hardball with Chris Matthews, in a discussion of candidate Mitt Romney's economic policy alternatives to the president: "Hell, my dog's better at it than Obama!"Crugnale, James, [http://www.mediaite.com/tv/msnbc-guest-my-dog-is-better-at-handling-the-economy-than-obama/ "MSNBC Guest: My dog is better at handling the economy than Obama"] Mediaite.com, February 7, 2012. Retrieved February 8, 2012.

In a November 19, 2006 interview with WorldNetDaily, Tancredo referred to the city of Miami, Florida, as a "Third World country." His comments drew strong criticism from numerous political leaders and organizations, including Florida Governor Jeb Bush who, in a letter to the congressman, called Tancredo's remarks "naive."{{cite news | url=http://denver.rockymountainnews.com/pdf/112806LetterToTancredo.pdf | title=Letter to Tancredo from Jeb Bush | newspaper=Rocky Mountain News | date=November 28, 2006 | first=Jeb | last=Bush | access-date = November 30, 2006}} Tancredo replied in a letter, "I certainly understand and appreciate your need and desire to try and create the illusion of Miami as a multiethnic 'All American' city," he said. "I can also appreciate ... that the cultural and ethnic diversity of the city offers many advantages to its residents. However, it is neither naïve nor insulting to call attention to a real problem that cannot be easily dismissed through politically correct happy talk."{{cite news | url=http://tancredo.house.gov/Media/file/TancredoresponseGovBush.pdf | title=Letter to Jeb Bush from Tancredo | publisher=US Congress | date=November 29, 2006 | first=Tom | last=Tancredo |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070112052205/http://tancredo.house.gov/Media/file/TancredoresponseGovBush.pdf | archive-date = January 12, 2007 }}

A former Catholic, Tancredo now attends Cherry Hills Community Church. Tancredo is married to Jackie Tancredo. They met at Drake Junior High School as teachers, and married in 1977.{{cite news | url=http://www.westword.com/Issues/2005-08-04/news/offlimits.html | title=On The Record| publisher=Denver Westword |date=August 5, 2005 | access-date = February 5, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051128081151/http://www.westword.com/Issues/2005-08-04/news/offlimits.html|archive-date=November 28, 2005 }} They have two children and five grandchildren.

On February 3, 2009, The Denver Post revealed that Tancredo had probably lost a significant amount of money invested in hedge funds with Agile Group,{{cite news | url=http://www.denverpost.com/allewis/ci_11619072 | title=Tancredo hit by hedge fund fallout | work=The Denver Post | date=February 3, 2009 | first=A. | last=Lewis | access-date = February 8, 2009}} a Boulder-based investment company with substantial investments in Bernie Madoff's investment firm.{{cite news | url=http://www.denverpost.com/lacrosse/ci_11614219 | title=Boulder firm tells investors to expect heavy losses | work=The Denver Post | date=February 3, 2009 | first=A. | last=Svaldi | access-date = February 8, 2009}}

{{Election box begin no change | title= 1998 United States House of Representatives elections[http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1998election.pdf 1998 Election Results]}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|

|party = Republican Party (United States)

|candidate = Tom Tancredo

|votes = 111,374

|percentage = 55.91%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Henry L. Strauss

|votes = 82,622

|percentage = 41.48%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|

|party = Natural Law Party (United States)

|candidate = George E. Newman

|votes = 5,152

|percentage = 2.59%

}}

{{Election box total no change|

|votes = 199,188

|percentage = 100%

}}

{{Election box hold with party link without swing|

|winner = Republican Party (United States)

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change | title= 2000 United States House of Representatives elections[http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/2000election.pdf 2000 Election Results]}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|

|party = Republican Party (United States)

|candidate = Tom Tancredo (incumbent)

|votes = 141,410

|percentage = 53.88%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Kenneth A. Toltz

|votes = 110,568

|percentage = 42.12%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|

|party = Libertarian Party (United States)

|candidate = Adam David Katz

|votes = 6,882

|percentage = 2.62%

}}

{{Election box candidate no change|

|party = Concerns of People Party

|candidate = John Heckman

|votes = 3,614

|percentage = 1.38%

}}

{{Election box total no change|

|votes = 262,477

|percentage = 100%

}}

{{Election box hold with party link without swing|

|winner = Republican Party (United States)

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change | title= 2002 United States House of Representatives elections[http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/2002election.pdf 2002 Election Results]}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|

|party = Republican Party (United States)

|candidate = Tom Tancredo (incumbent)

|votes = 158,851

|percentage = 66.88%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Lance Wright

|votes = 71,327

|percentage = 30.03%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|

|party = Libertarian Party (United States)

|candidate = Adam David Katz

|votes = 7,323

|percentage = 3.08%

}}

{{Election box total no change|

|votes = 237,501

|percentage = 100%

}}

{{Election box hold with party link without swing|

|winner = Republican Party (United States)

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change | title= 2004 United States House of Representatives elections[http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/2004election.pdf 2004 Election Results]}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|

|party = Republican Party (United States)

|candidate = Tom Tancredo (incumbent)

|votes = 212,778

|percentage = 59.48%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Joanna Conti

|votes = 139,870

|percentage = 39.10%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|

|party = Libertarian Party (United States)

|candidate = Jack J. Woehr

|votes = 3,857

|percentage = 1.08%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|

|party = Constitution Party (United States)

|candidate = Peter Shevchuck

|votes = 1,235

|percentage = 0.35%

}}

{{Election box total no change|

|votes = 357,741

|percentage = 100%

}}

{{Election box hold with party link without swing|

|winner = Republican Party (United States)

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change | title= 2006 United States House of Representatives elections[http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/2006election.pdf 2006 Election Results]}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|

|party = Republican Party (United States)

|candidate = Tom Tancredo (incumbent)

|votes = 158,806

|percentage = 58.61%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Bill Winter

|votes = 108,007

|percentage = 39.87%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|

|party = Libertarian Party (United States)

|candidate = Jack J. Woehr

|votes = 4,093

|percentage = 1.51%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|

|party = Republican Party (United States)

|candidate = Juan B. Botero (write-in)

|votes = 25

|percentage = 0.01%

}}

{{Election box total no change|

|votes = 270,931

|percentage = 100%

}}

{{Election box hold with party link without swing|

|winner = Republican Party (United States)

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin | title=2010 Colorado gubernatorial election{{cite book|last=Gessler|first=Scott|title=2010 Abstract of Votes Cast|url=https://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/Results/Abstract/pdf/2000-2099/2010AbstractBook.pdf|date=2010|location=Denver, Colorado|publisher=Colorado Secretary of State}}

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link|

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = John Hickenlooper

|votes = 915,436

|percentage = 51.05%

|change = -5.93%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Constitution Party (United States)

|candidate = Tom Tancredo

|votes = 652,376

|percentage = 36.38%

|change = +35.76%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Republican Party (United States)

|candidate = Dan Maes

|votes = 199,792

|percentage = 11.14%

|change = -29.02%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Libertarian Party (United States)

|candidate = Jaimes Brown

|votes = 13,365

|percentage = 0.75%

|change = -0.75%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Independent (politician)

|candidate = Jason R. Clark

|votes = 8,601

|percentage = 0.48%

|change = —

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Independent (politician)

|candidate = Paul Noel Fiorino

|votes = 3,492

|percentage = 0.19%

|change = —

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Write-ins

|candidate =

|votes = 86

|percentage = 0.00%

|change = —

}}

{{Election box majority|

|votes = 263,060

|percentage = 14.67%

|change = -2.15%

}}

{{Election box turnout|

|votes = 1,793,148

|percentage =

|change =

}}

{{Election box hold with party link no swing|

|winner = Democratic Party (United States)

|loser = Republican Party (United States)

|swing =

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change

| title = 2014 Colorado gubernatorial Republican primary{{cite web|url=http://results.enr.clarityelections.com/CO/51557/135090/en/summary.html#|title=CO – Election Results|access-date=November 24, 2014}}

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

| candidate = Bob Beauprez

| party = Republican Party (United States)

| votes = 116,333

| percentage = 30.24

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| candidate = Tom Tancredo

| party = Republican Party (United States)

| votes = 102,830

| percentage = 26.73

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| candidate = Scott Gessler

| party = Republican Party (United States)

| votes = 89,213

| percentage = 23.19

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| candidate = Mike Kopp

| party = Republican Party (United States)

| votes = 76,373

| percentage = 19.85

}}

{{Election box total no change

| votes = 384,749

| percentage = 100.00

}}

{{Election box end}}

• In Mortal Danger: The Battle for America's Border and Security. WND Books, 2006. ({{ISBN|1-58182-527-7}})

{{Reflist||colwidth=30em}}

• [http://www.tomtancredo.com/ Tancredo for Governor] official campaign site
• {{CongLinks | congbio=t000458 | votesmart= | fec=P80003429 | congress= }}
• {{C-SPAN|57945}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070929125450/http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Tom_Tancredo Profile] at SourceWatch
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20131231080741/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/vote2008/primaries/candidates/tancredo.html Tom Tancredo] at Vote 2008 at PBS NewsHour

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