Tancredo leaves presidential race after making immigration a major issue

Tom Tancredo, Congressman from Colorado, having succeeded in his quest to make illegal immigration a major issue in the presidential campaign, officially ended his own bid for the presidency on Thursday. He endorsed former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney

Tancredo's campaign was about maintaining "America's English speaking, Judeo-Christian heritage," he said, as the pressure to change grows at the hands of illegal immigrants and Islamic extremists. He had told MSNBC "You can call me a one-issue candidate if you'd like, as long as you realize my issue is the survival of this country as we know it."

Rep. Brian Bilbray, the California Republican who succeeded Tancredo as leader of an Immigration Reform Caucus, said Tancredo was instrumental in making illegal immigration a top issue in Congress. “He shocked Washington into paying attention. He rattled their cages, and that's what it takes,” Bilbray said.

For Shelly Uscinski, Tancredo’s New Hampshire campaign director, he represented the only true conservative in the race. "We had a good run," she said. "As far as I'm concerned, it was a great success. Immigration was not a topic of discussion until Tom made it part of the discussion. Tom can declare a victory as far as I'm concerned."