Tom Tancredo Trounced in Colorado Gubernatorial Race, Anti-Immigrant Candidates Fail

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper will be Colorado’s next governor. Hickenlooper prevailed over American Constitution Party candidate Tom Tancredo.  A staunch anti-immigrant advocate, Tancredo formerly was a U.S. Representative.  Republican Dan Maes finished a distant third.

According to the Denver Post, as of this morning, Hickenlooper was leading with 50.5 percent of votes cast; Tancredo garnered 36.8 percent; and Maes had 11.2 percent.

Tancredo’s campaign website states that, as Governor, he would “Secure Colorado” through these steps:

• Implement tough new Arizona-style interior and employer enforcement laws.

• Withhold state funds from local governments that enact so-called “sanctuary policies”

• Oppose providing taxpayer subsidized in-state tuition benefits to illegal immigrants.

• Audit state and local government compliance with state immigration laws.

 Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who also had endorsed Sharron Angle for Senate in Nevada and Christine O’Donnell for Senator in Delaware — both of whom were unsuccessful in their runs, had endorsed Tancredo.  In a taped telephone message to Colorado voters, Palin said that, among other things, Tancredo would continue to fight “against illegal immigration.”

More generally, anti-immigrant candidates other than Tom Tancredo also failed to carry the day — a day in which Dems were running for the hills (if not the border).  Nevada Senate candidate Sharron Angle had promised to wage war on  the “illegals” while California Gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman experienced a Latino Waterloo after Nicky Diaz, a long-time Whitman household (and undocumented) worker emerged and told the world that Whitman had thrown her out like garbage.  Both scared the heck out of Latino voters and both lost on Tuesday to Democrats (Senator Harry Reid and former California Governor Jerry Brown) who many thought were extremely vulnerable.

KJ