The Republican primary to challenge Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper just got a little bit less crowded.
With former Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo’s announcement Thursday that he was joining the race, Steve Laffey, who had previously announced a bid, decided to drop out.
Laffey is the former Mayor of Cranston, Rhode Island. He moved his family to Colorado in 2010, and announced this year that he would challenge the Democratic Governor.
“Colorado was one of the last best places,” Laffey told The Denver Post. “But it’s been obvious in the last few months that the state is not going in the right direction.”
But with Tancredo in the race, Laffey has opted to withdraw.
“I have been in two contentious primaries, against people with whom I disagreed immensely and were leading us in the wrong direction,” Laffey said in a statement. “When I entered this race there was no one else who had the capability to bring the case for Limited Government, Freedom and Jobs to the people of Colorado. In this case, Tom and I agree on much, plus he is a good and honorable man, has a great background for the job, and will work towards producing more freedom for the people of Colorado.”
“That would leave us with a divisive primary, arguing over mostly non-issues, splitting the fundraising in Colorado so that little is left for the general election (given Colorado’s restrictive campaign laws), and dividing the Republican Party— ending with, for different reasons, the same disastrous results in 2014. Tom stepped in in 2010 on strong principled reasons; this will give a Republican the best chance to win in November,” Laffey said.