Wake-Up Call: Tom Tancredo for governor of Colorado?

When I last talked with former Congressman Tom Tancredo -- about marijuana, of all things, which he'd like to see legalized, even though he's never so much as attempted to inhale -- he was just back from an October Constitution Party event in Phoenix, where he'd been urged to run...

By Patricia Calhoun

November 10, 2009

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When I last talked with former Congressman Tom Tancredo -- about marijuana, of all things, which he'd like to see legalized, even though he's never so much as attempted to inhale -- he was just back from an October Constitution Party event in Phoenix, where he'd been urged to run for president on the ticket of what had started in 1992 as the U.S. Taxpayers Party, and is now on the ballot in 43 states.

But Tancredo had another idea: Why not run for Senate against John McCain in his own state, as a way to remind him of the Republican Party's roots (and perhaps snag a few headlines in the process)? Just one problem: Tancredo lives in Colorado, and has always lived in Colorado.

Which is a major hurdle if you're thinking of running for office in Arizona, but will come in very handy if he decides to run for governor of Colorado, as the Draft Tom Tancredo for Governor Facebook page (with a dedicated web site in the works) is urging.

Tancredo had been a staunch supporter of Josh Penry, but with Penry reportedly now suspending his campaign -- leaving just former Congressman Scott McInnis and businessman Dan Maes vying for the Republican nomination -- he's being encouraged to take a look at the race.

"I had said that if Josh Penry wasn't in the race, I would be," Tancredo told the Denver Post yesterday. "I know if I got into this thing, most of the party elite would not be happy."

But anyone who likes the prospect of a long, loud political debate will be. (And that rules out McInnis, of course, who'd declined to debate Penry and Maes, and likely Jane Norton, since Tancredo's already taken a shot at her.) Because no matter what you think about Tom Tancredo, we can agree that the man is not shy and retiring.

Especially not retiring.

Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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