Tancredo Pulls Out, Supports Romney???

by: Colorado Pols

Thu Dec 20, 2007 at 14:28:21 PM MST

From the Rocky Mountain News:

Rep. Tom Tancredo officially bowed out of the race for the White House today, declaring a moral victory despite never escaping the bottom rungs of the polls.

At an afternoon news conference in Des Moines, the Colorado congressman also endorsed Mitt Romney, saying he was satisfied the former Massachusetts governor is well-suited to drive many of the same immigration reforms that Tancredo has been pushing on the campaign trail.

Tancredo called Romney "the best hope for our cause."

He also said worried if he stayed in the race that someone who is wrong on immigration - namely former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee - could benefit.

"I don't want to do anything that would aid them," he said of Huckabee, while also mentioning Arizona Sen. John McCain.

Tancredo did not say anything about his immediate plans. He's long left the door open to a possible Senate run in 2010...

...It's unclear how much weight a Tancredo endorsement might have with just two weeks to go before the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3.

In Iowa, Tancredo got between 2 percent and 6 percent in the most recent polls, and his supporters and campaign volunteers appeared to be split among various camps.

Tancredo's exit from the race is certainly no surprise, but we'd be lying if we said the Romney endorsement was not.