After losing third party run, Tancredo calls for Republican unity

Former Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) wants moderate Republicans and conservatives in Colorado to meet so they can come together to prevent divides that could lead to election losses.

Tancredo ran for governor this year against a Republican in a three-way race. Democrat John Hickenlooper wound up winning.

Tancredo said that Liberty Group leaders should meet with Republican leaders to figure out how they can work together.

Tancredo ran as a third-party candidate after determining Republican nominee Dan Maes was unelectable. Both lost to Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper (D-Colorado), who won more votes than the two candidates combined.

"Although the goals of the Liberty Groups are compatible with MOST Republicans, there is some work that needs to be done in order to eliminate any obstacles to cooperation on issues and candidates that advance that common agenda," Tancredo wrote to his email list, according to the 9news.com.

He noted that divides between moderate and conservative Republicans are not new, but in the past "it did not keep us from winning elections."

He blamed rich liberal donors and campaign finance reform for "the deadly cocktail that has thrown the Republican Party in Colorado into disarray."

Tancredo cast his first vote as a Republican but defected to run as a Constitution Party candidate.

"I fear my involvement might prove unhelpful for obvious reasons," he wrote. "I would, however, be happy to register as a Republican and work for a better Colorado."