Tom Tancredo
Latest News on Tom Tancredo
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- Candidate Status:
- Out
- Current Job:
- Congressman from Colorado
- Birth Date:
- December 20, 1945 in Denver, Colorado
- Family:
- Wife Jackie Tancredo; two children
- Religion:
- Presbyterian
- Education:
- University of Northern Colorado, B.A., 1968
- Career:
- Tom Tancredo has represented Colorado's 6th District in the House for five terms. A former member of Colorado's state legislature, he served as a regional representative for the U.S. Education Department under President Reagan. Before running for public office, Tancredo taught history at the junior high school level. He was also president of the conservative think thank Independence Institute.
- Other facts:
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- Tancredo supported the Vietnam War, but got a 1-Y deferment for depression and was not drafted.
- Abortion:
- Tancredo calls Roe v. Wade a "moral and intellectual travesty." He would appoint strict constructionists as judges and backs a constitutional amendment to ban abortions. Tancredo praised the Supreme Court's decision to uphold a ban on partial-birth abortions, which he describes as "barbaric."
- Energy/Environment:
- Tancredo strongly supports making the U.S. more energy independent, but believes environmental considerations should not hamper the energy sector's ability to retrieve oil from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He says energy production and environmental conservation are not mutually exclusive goals, and that the U.S. can expand energy production, creating jobs at home, and bring down prices at the pump. Tancredo opposed the Kyoto treaty.
- Immigration:
- Tancredo, chairman of the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus, says America is facing an illegal immigration crisis. He supports increasing border security, and the building of a fence between the U.S. and Mexico. He is opposed to amnesty for illegal immigrants.
- Iraq:
- Tancredo opposed the Bush-backed troop surge in Iraq, but says now he hopes that it works. He favors disengagement over troop withdrawal, and has warned Congress against attempts to "micromanage" the ground situation.
- Taxes:
- Tancredo says the current income tax system is too cumbersome and would prefer to see either a national sales tax or a flat tax. He says a simplified collections process would reduce the costs of compliance, make American companies more competitive, and encourage investment. Tancredo also supports further tax relief, as long as the current system remains in place.
