National Rifle Association board member Ted Nugent is fundraising for Republican Colorado gubernatorial candidate Tom Tancredo weeks after Texas gubernatorial hopeful Greg Abbott caused a firestorm of controversy for campaigning with Nugent after the NRA figurehead made a racist comment about President Obama.
According to a March 4 article in The Colorado Independent, Nugent sent a fundraising e-mail on behalf of Tancredo that asked for donations of $25 or more to be entered into a raffle for an AR-15 assault weapon. In a letter addressed to “Real Americans,” Nugent warned that “Barack Obama and his radical America-hating leftist goons are perilously close to taking away our guns and nullifying the Second Amendment.” According to Nugent, “Tom Tancredo is running for Governor in one of the most anti-gun states in the union, so he urgently needs our help. That's why we're giving away a free AR-15 to a fellow gung-ho supporter.” Nugent praised Tancredo for “opposing President Bush's wasteful spending spree, amnesty for illegal immigrants, and of course, insane infringements to our sacred Second Amendment rights.”
Nugent also sent a fundraising email for Tancredo in December where he wrote, "[L]ike you, I'm terrified by where Barack Obama and his radical America hating leftist goons are leading this great country."
Nugent's presence on the campaign trial recently caused headaches for a different Republican gubernatorial candidate. In Texas, Greg Abbott received widespread criticism for hosting campaign events with Nugent, who is also a spokesman for the Outdoor Channel, after Nugent recently termed Obama a “subhuman mongrel.” Abbott was also widely criticized for campaigning with someone who had made numerous profane and derogatory comments about women, including calling Hillary Clinton a “toxic cunt” and “worthless bitch.” Even prominent members of the GOP condemned Nugent, with Arizona Sen. John McCain adding, “That kind of thing is beyond the pale, and I hope that our candidate down there learned a lesson.” Nugent eventually offered a disingenuous apology -- “not necessarily to the president” -- for his “subhuman mongrel” comment and Abbott stated publicly he had no plans to hold future events with Nugent.
Nugent's fundraising comes as Tancredo -- known for his hardline stance on immigration -- recently reversed his longtime vow to never campaign in Spanish. Nugent, however, is well known for his hateful and violent rhetoric against immigrants.
In May 2013 Nugent authored a column for conspiracy website WND where he debuted his “Nuge Immigration Plan” which called for treating undocumented immigrants, in his words, like “indentured servants.” Under his plan all undocumented male immigrants would be required to build a fence on the United States-Mexico border. In his column, Nugent also wrote, “The anchor baby scam should be immediately rescinded. You don't need to be a constitutional expert like our president to know that the original intent of the 14th Amendment was not to provide citizenship to illegal women or their babies who are born on American soil.”
During a 2008 appearance on Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, Nugent said of undocumented immigrants attempting to enter the United States, “I'd like to shoot them dead.”
Nugent was also the subject of a boycott from Texas Hispanic leaders in 2000 after Nugent reportedly said during two concerts that non-English speakers should leave the United States. During a 1994 interview with Colorado publication Westword, Nugent addressed unrest in Haiti by stating "[w]e should put razor wire around our borders and give the finger to any piece of shit who wants to come here."
The full Tancredo fundraising e-mail:
