Supporters of former U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo raised a glass to toast the Republican and conservative principles at a gathering of a couple dozen key backers of his gubernatorial bid on Sunday night at a Lakewood steakhouse.

Noting that he had celebrated his 69th birthday the day before, a wistful-sounding Tancredo observed, “It’s been a wonderful ride – a wonderful life.” Smiling, he asked, “Isn’t that the movie?”

Tancredo, who came in second in the primary to former U.S. Rep. Bob Beauprez, cautioned conservatives against resting on any laurels following Republican wins in November – U.S. Rep. Cory Gardner unseated Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Udall and the GOP took a one-seat majority in the state Senate, in addition to sweeping the offices of attorney general, state treasurer and secretary of state, although Beauprez lost to Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper – particularly as a seemingly unleashed President Barack Obama has revealed one bold initiative after another in the wake of the election.

“I fear for the Republic,” he said, urging supporters to stay vigilant. “I can’t tell you what to do, except everything we can do.”

Tancredo told The Colorado Statesman that this year’s primary loss doesn’t spell the end of his decades-long involvement in Colorado politics, though he wasn’t sure what’s next.

“The challenge to us all is to overcome any obstacle that we encounter in this long path toward a greater America and a better Colorado,” Tancredo said. “This was just a bump in the road. I don’t want anyone to get discouraged, because so much is at stake. These are all people who are dedicated to something beyond themselves in politics, and, believe me, that’s almost a unique characteristic. They’re all here for a greater cause, and I just wanted to thank them.”

As he hugged well-wishers and handed out commemorative coffee mugs – featuring an image of President Ronald Reagan and quote from the conservative icon – Tancredo reflected on the road ahead.

“As long as I have breath in my body and am vertical, the fight never stops,” he told The Statesman. “Our opponents never stop. They are tenacious, they are dedicated; we have to be, also. I have no idea what I can offer. I am certainly not as young as I used to be, but as long as I have any ability to influence anything in politics in this state and this country, I will be pursuing it.”

While he hinted at a possible run for office in the future – “Let’s not tell my wife about that,” he joked – Tancredo said he will be devoting energy in the near term to his Stop Chris Christie PAC, an organization he launched after the election to prevent the New Jersey governor from winning the 2016 Republican nomination for president. (Christie heads the Republican Governors Association, which funneled money this year into advertising aimed at keeping Tancredo off the fall ballot.)

Pueblo County Republican Party chair Becky Mizel, who introduced Tancredo as “the Ronald Reagan of Colorado,” said she was proud of the campaign Tancredo ran and hoped that his supporters will stay engaged.

“Look how much money it took to knock Tom out of the primary,” Mizel said, shaking her head. “Tom persevered through a lot of negative press until the RGA came out with its ads. Some of the antics that did happen with Tom Tancredo – young people and Hispanics who have left the party in Pueblo, I will struggle to get them back.”

State GOP Secretary Lana Fore-Warcocz, who noted that she remained neutral in the primary because of her position with the party, said she was glad to help celebrate the holidays with her friend.

“The good thing about Tom is he’s such a man of values and a man of honor,” Fore-Warcocz told The Statesman. “It is time that conservatives stand up and stand together and move forward,” she continued, adding that she plans to run for another term at the state reorganization early next year. “We have to win in 2016. I hurt for my state. I hurt that the state is so blue.”

Brian Dotterer, who managed Tom Tancredo’s 2014 gubernatorial campaign, and Tom Bjorkland, the candidate’s longtime campaign treasurer, celebrate the holidays at a party on Dec. 21 for Tancredo campaign alumnae in Lakewood.

Photos by Ernest Luning /The Colorado Statesman

After paying for the party, Tancredo said, the remaining balance in his campaign account – in the neighborhood of $7,000, according to the most recent report filed with the state – will go to the fund set up for Denver police officer John Adsit, who remains hospitalized in critical condition after being struck by a car earlier this month while escorting student protesters from Denver’s East High School. (Donations to the fund, which had raised nearly $64,000 at press time, can be made at www.gofundme.com/JohnsRecoveryFund.)

– Ernest@coloradostatesman.com