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Minuteman group won’t follow Gilchrist’s lead |
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By Aaron Blake
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Posted: 12/14/07 11:49 AM [ET] |
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The anti-illegal immigration Minuteman Civil Defense Corps and its political action committee have made it clear that they have not endorsed a presidential candidate, and if they do it will not be former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R).
Minuteman Project co-founder Jim Gilchrist created a stir in the anti-illegal immigration community on Tuesday by endorsing Huckabee, who has surged to the lead in the polls in Iowa but has concerned some illegal immigration hard-liners with his past stances on the issue.
Chris Simcox, the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps head who originally founded the Minuteman Project with Gilchrist, said in a release Friday that Gilchrist does not speak for the Minutemen.
Simcox and Gilchrist split in 2005 and now run different organizations, both of which use the Minuteman name.
“As Arkansas governor, Mike Huckabee was openly tolerant of illegal aliens, supported giving them government benefits including in-state tuition, and ridiculed the religious faith of those who questioned his pro-illegal alien policies," Simcox said. "His record stinks."
Simcox went on to praise the four major Republicans who are polling the lowest — Reps. Tom Tancredo (Colo.), Duncan Hunter (Calif.) and Ron Paul (Texas) and Ambassador Alan Keyes — and said former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) and former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.) also enjoy support within the Minuteman community.
“Let's see what happens in the next two months, and when the time is right, we'll be ready to put our muscle where we can do the most good,” Simcox said.An official with the Huckabee campaign brushed off Simcox's announcement. “Gov. Huckabee is more concerned with fixing the problem of illegal immigration than he is in appeasing particular interest groups," said Huckabee campaign manager Chip Saltsman. "His Secure America plan will solve the problem, which is why it is being embraced by movement leaders like Jim Gilchrist." |
