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Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., catapulted into the national
political scene in the summer of 2006 as the House debated
immigration reform. The long-time crusader to curb the flow
of illegal immigrants is now pursuing the nomination for
president.
After teaching middle school in Denver, where he met his
wife, Tancredo started his political career in the Colorado
House of Representatives, where he made a name for himself
by opposing bilingual education initiatives. He served as
a political appointee in the Reagan and Bush education departments
before successfully running for the 6th District seat in
the U.S. House of Representatives in 1998.
Once in Congress, Tancredo created the Congressional Immigration
Reform Caucus. He has vehemently criticized President Bush's
guest worker program, referring to the plan as "amnesty"
for immigrants who broke the law by entering the country
illegally.
Even though he is most known for his views on immigration
reform, Tancredo has also been a strong supporter of the
war in Iraq and is staunchly pro-life. At the 2007 Conservative
Political Action Conference, the congressman addressed his
position as long-shot candidate with only one issue on his
platform.
"If you want to call me a single issue candidate,
that's fine," said Tancredo. "Just so long as
you know that my single issue is the survival and success
of the conservative movement in America."
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