It's interesting to read Tom's explanation of why he ran in the first place. Rather startling.
It had to do with a guy he saw on the steps of the Colorado State Capitol in 1975, ranting about Aztlan in both Spanish and English. The guy had the usual uniform of the day, levi's, t-shirt with slogans, long hair, etc. Basically a Chicano Separatist. Apparently listening to this idiot bugged Tancredo enough with what he was saying that he decided he was going to do something about it, and started getting involved with politics. First at the local level, then later federal.
The punch line is that the guy he saw ranting went on to become well known in his own right. His name was Federico Pena, and after they cleaned him up, he was elected Mayor of Denver, and later Secretary of Transportation by Bill Clinton. They also named the airport in Denver after him.
Charming, huh?