Republican Tancredo drops 2008 bid, backs Romney

Republican Tancredo drops 2008 bid, backs Romney

DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado, a strong supporter of tougher immigration laws, dropped his long-shot Republican presidential bid on Thursday and endorsed former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

Tancredo, who entered the race to raise awareness of the immigration issue, languished at the bottom of a big Republican presidential field most of the year but said he had accomplished his task.

Most of the Republican field has supported a tough crackdown on illegal immigrants and stricter border security, and polls put illegal immigration near the top of the agenda for Republican voters.

"I am happy to say, I am ecstatic to say, we have made remarkable progress," Tancredo said at a Des Moines news conference.

Iowa opens on January 3 the state-by-state battle to choose Republican and Democratic presidential candidates in the November 2008 election, but polls showed Tancredo running in the low single digits in support in the state.

...Huckabee has shot up in the polls despite criticism from some Republicans for taking too soft a stance on illegal immigrants.

I think its very important for someone to be on illegal immigrants. Thank god the republicans have taken charge on it. I think Huckabee has a very good chance of winning. If i were to vote now i think i would vote for him because he knows what hes doing.