Rep. Tancredo on Border Battle

This is a rush transcript from "Your World with Neil Cavuto," October 3, 2007. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

NEIL CAVUTO, HOST: In the meantime, cracking down on illegals, the centerpiece of my next guest's presidential campaign, pretty much like the assemblyman's here, but he's not getting any traction.

Why is that? It seems his message is falling on deaf ears, in fact. And he really was ahead of this before anyone, Republican presidential candidate Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo.

Congressman, I do not mean to bash your presidential prospects, but, on this one issue, where you have been ahead of really most anyone on the national basis, it's not gelling. What's going on?

(CROSSTALK)

REP. TOM TANCREDO, R-COLO., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I should hope you wouldn't want to bash it. You're the one that actually got me into this. Every single time I was on your show, you would always say: "Are you going to announce it? Are you going to announce it?"

(LAUGHTER)

CAVUTO: Well, I want a free invite to the White House; that's all.

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: But, now, where does this go? Is this issue — you know, some people have told me — I don't know — obviously, you wouldn't agree with this, but the argument seems, among the core in the Republican Party still a hot issue. Among the broader party, not so much so. What do you make of that?

TANCREDO: Well, that is hard to say.

I will tell you, this whole thing is a difficult thing to analyze from my point of view. I have to start from a position where certainly name recognition, you know, when it's compared to the guys who are in the top tier, so to speak...

CAVUTO: Good point. Good point.

TANCREDO: ... and especially the money that they have that I certainly don't have. So, we're going to start form a relatively small base.

But look what happened in Iowa in the straw poll. We ended up — I ended up fourth out of a field of about 10, I think, nine or 10. And, frankly, the day before we went in, I was still polling at, like, 2 percent. So, something happened, and I think a lot of people went in and said, "You know, I'm going to vote for this guy; I believe in him." And I ended up, as I say, in a fairly respectable position, considering the field of candidates.

CAVUTO: You know what I think hurts you, Congressman? I think there are so many of you running for president, in a debate...

TANCREDO: Sure.

CAVUTO: ... my friends and colleagues like Brit Hume have to moderate these things, there are, like, 50 of you up there, and you all have to give your piece and your say.

TANCREDO: Yes. Neil...

CAVUTO: And your issue is immigration, and that might not come up, and Tom Tancredo loses a key moment.

TANCREDO: There have been more than one, I think three or four debates. The one I remember distinctly, ABC, and it was hosted by Stephanopoulos, 90 minutes, not one single question about immigration.

I had to force it into it in a response to an answer about health care, because, otherwise, I would never...

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: But why is that? I don't mean to jabber on here. But why is that? Why is it not even coming up in debates? And why is it not even coming up in speeches? Someone must be doing tracking polls on this, Congressman, and saying, "Hey, maybe it's not registering."

I don't know.

TANCREDO: Oh, I think — I think it does register. Now, you know, there are nefarious purposes that one might — might believe that people like Stephanopoulos and the folks over at MSNBC on that first debate, it seemed to me to be so biased...

CAVUTO: MS — MS — what? What was that? Go ahead.

TANCREDO: ... the questions were so biased and inane that, really, against Republicans, they don't want to bring it up, because, I think, they know it is an issue for Republicans. And they certainly know it's an issue for me.

I — it's hard to say, and I don't think everybody's out to get me. That's not it at all. It's just that I know I don't — when you're up against guys with huge personal fortunes and lots and lots of money in their campaigns, it's always going to be tough.

CAVUTO: It is tough. But I will tell you what, Congressman?

TANCREDO: But if I can do well...

CAVUTO: ... what I know about political history is the consensus crowd always gets it wrong. So, we will see.

TANCREDO: Yes.

CAVUTO: We will see.

Always good seeing you.

TANCREDO: OK, buddy.

CAVUTO: Thank you.

TANCREDO: Likewise.

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