Face The State Staff Report
While nearly 200 supporters, friends, and political allies gathered Thursday night to honor Congressman Tom Tancredo’s retirement from Congress, the feisty anti-illegal immigration activist assured attendees that his departure from public life would be brief as he alluded to plans for a 2010 gubernatorial bid.
TancredoFTS File Photo
The mood was jovial and lighthearted at the Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen where the Mountain Republican Womens’ Club hosted a “toast and a roast” in honor of Tancredo’s departure from Congress. In between taking some good-natured jabs from roasters, Tancredo made overtures to wanting the GOP's gubernatorial nod.
“This may be the end of a chapter, but it’s not the end of the book,” Tancredo said.
Tancredo even half-jokingly challenged former first lady Frances Owens, who was one of the evening's toasters, to run as his lieutenant governor. “I’ll make you a deal, Frances,” Tancredo said. “I’ll run for governor if you run for lieutenant governor. I'm not kidding.”
The evening’s master of ceremonies, radio personality Peter Boyles, state Sen. Ted Harvey, as well as Tancredo and his wife Jackie all agreed that Owens should have run for governor in 2006.
Former Congressman Bob Beauprez, R-Arvada, the Republican who did run for governor in 2006, confirmed that he has met with Tancredo to discuss the GOP’s hopes to unseat Gov. Bill Ritter in 2010. Although he said it’s too early to say if he’ll run or not, Beauprez says he “hasn’t ruled anything out.”
“I did meet with Tom to talk about one us running,” Beauprez said. “But I thought he might prefer to take a little skin off of [U.S. Sen. and Democrat] Ken Salazar.”
Beauprez added that he has a great deal of respect for Tancredo and cherishes the time they spent as colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives, adding that regardless of the GOP's 2010 pick to challenge Ritter, both want to avoid a primary.
“We agreed we shouldn’t have a primary,” Beauprez added. “Every time we do, we end killing our own and not the Democrats.”
The evening was not entirely focused on the future of Tancredo’s political career; in fact, most time was spent sharing stories of his adventures as a congressman.
Power lobbyist Steve Durham, who was also Tancredo’s roommate at the University of Northern Colorado and fellow “House Crazy,” related a humorous story about the congressman’s first campaign for the statehouse in 1976.
Durham said while canvassing neighborhoods, Tancredo became so enraged when he caught his opponent stealing his campaign literature that he ended up punching the Democrat. Durham said Tancredo’s 8th grade civics students, who witnessed the altercation, got an invaluable lesson into how government really works. Tancredo was a social studies teacher at Drake Junior High School in Arvada at the time and recruited some of his pupils to volunteer on his campaign.
The self-deprecating Tancredo joined the fun and told a story about how as a congressman, he still gets no respect. When he was first elected to the U.S. House, he said he was with his wife, Jackie, stuck on a crowded airplane. The plane had to circle several times before landing. Once the plane finally landed, the pilot came on the intercom and told passengers they had wait even longer for a gate to open. This incensed the already irritated passengers, one of whom sitting near Tancredo and his wife said, “I am so sick of this, if some congressman was here I’d give him a piece of my mind.”
“Well, he’s one,” Jackie Tancredo said. The angry passenger looked over at Tancredo, sized him up and said, “Nah, no way.” The anecdote received the most laughs of the night.
All but one of the Republican candidates who vied for Tancredo's seat in the 6th Congressional District were on hand to wish the congressman well. Secretary of State Mike Coffman, the winner of the primary, told the group he will do his best to fill Tancredo's shoes. Harvey was one the evening's roasters and Wil Armstrong was also in attendence.
Other notable attendees included Jefferson County District Attorney Scott Storey, Jefferson County Commissioner Kevin McCaskey, state Sens. Mike Kopp and Dave Schulthies, as well as former state lawmakers Cliff Dodge and Jim Welker. Former Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Cory Voorhis was a speaker and was acknowledged as a "hero" by Tancredo.