Tom Tancredo Not Sure He'll Return To Republican Party

Less than a week after losing a surprisingly formidable third-party bid to become Governor of Colorado, Tom Tancredo is saying he may not return to the Republican Party.

Tancredo, a former Republican congressman and presidential candidate, announced in late July that he would run for Governor as a member of the conservative American Constitution Party (ACP). Originally, his bid was aimed at forcing the two Republican hopefuls, both of whom were plagued by ethical questions, to drop from the race.

However, Tancredo chose to see his campaign through to November, telling the Denver Post in September "I have a responsibility to all the people who have come forward to give their support."

At the time, Tancredo slammed the top-down, "father knows best" structure of the Republican Party.

His entry into the race earned him the ire of Republican leaders. The conservative firebrand even engaged in a public shouting match with Colorado Republican Party Chair Dick Wadhams.

As the campaign of Republican nominee Dan Maes continued to sputter, Tancredo climbed closer in the polls than anyone expected. He ultimately underperformed polling that showed him losing by single digits to Democrat John Hickenlooper, but did come withing a hair of relegating his former party to minority status in Colorado

Tancredo told the Denver Post over the weekend that he's not sure which--if any--party he will affiliate with now that the election is over.

"Unless there is some purpose, I don't know if I will go back to Republican. I'm not sure I will stay with ACP either," he said. "Maybe I will become an independent. It's a lot of heavy stuff to think about."