Tancredo won't be relevant in McCain-led Party

Former presidential candidate and soon-to-be former Congressman Tom Tancredo lamented the Huckabee win over Romney in Iowa to the Denver Post last week because it hurt Tancredo’s anti-immigration reform message.

"It's a discouraging thing," Tancredo said according to the Post news story, "Because, really, to tell the truth, the real winner in this thing is McCain. . . . I think he's the worst in the bunch."

 The next report from independent pollster Rasmussen agreed: 

“[John] McCain may end up as the biggest winner of all. On the morning after the caucuses, McCain emerged as a heavy favorite to win in New Hampshire five days from now.”

 And indeed McCain beat Romney handily in New Hampshire. 

What does that say about Tancredo’s anti-immigration message?

 It’s interesting that GOP political pollsters a year ago were saying that illegal immigration was the number one issue amongst conservative voters. 

“It’s off the charts,” said one GOP consultant in Washington DC in June of last year. “Republicans are very upset about illegal immigration. And the independents are furious as well.”

Despite this Tancredo’s anti-immigration reform message never really got off the ground. Tancredo did not poll above 2% in any creditable national polls despite having this issue at his back.

“Outside of Colorado Tancredo’s considered a joke,” said one Republican strategist in Washington. “No one is going to deport illegal immigrants. Tancredo knows it. My neighbor, who knows nothing about politics knows it. The only thing Tancredo has done is put Republicans into a box they can’t get out of.”  

There seem to be a dawning awareness of this amongst Republican voters.  Over half of GOP voters in New Hampshire and Iowa supported candidates that have a more moderate position on immigration policy than Tancredo. In the final weeks of the campaign staple conservative issues like defense policy and fiscal policy have dominated the campaigns. In fact, when Mitt Romney attacked John McCain on illegal immigration, it seemed to backfire on the Romney campaign.

“Illegal immigration is nothing but a straw dog,” concluded the strategist. “That’s why Tancredo’s bid never took off.”