Tancredo endorses Romney

CNN:

Rep. Tom Tancredo abandoned his long-shot bid for the Republican presidential nomination Thursday and endorsed Mitt Romney's candidacy, saying the Massachusetts Republican "can go the distance."

Tancredo, a Colorado Republican, is a fierce proponent of stricter illegal immigration laws, but his campaign struggled to gain traction with Republican primary voters, despite many naming illegal immigration as a top concern.

Noting the "incredibly long odds" when he launched his White House bid, Tancredo said his campaign achieved what it meant to do: put illegal immigration on the national agenda.

"I am ecstatic about the fact that we can say we have made remarkable progress along those lines," Tancredo said during a press conference in Des Moines, Iowa. "According to Newsweek, the Tancredo campaign has already won."

After announcing he was dropping out of the race, Tancredo endorsed Romney's presidential bid, saying that Romney supported his stance on illegal immigration and national security and that the former Massachusetts governor could win the presidency.

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CNN says Tancredo was drawing about three percent support in Iowa. I have seen other polls give him as much as six percent. As tight as the race is it might make a difference, although it is possible that his support might go to Thompson. Tancredo has done a remarkable job of moving the debate on immigration. Even Democrats are now much closer to Tancredo's position that they were to the "comprehensive" immigration reform of earlier this year. Pollsters have told Democrats to not go near providing benefits for illegals including driver's licenses.