May 30, 2007
Fred Thompson, Making Conservatives Happy?
He's been teasing the Republican base for a while now with speeches here and appearances there, but actor and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson is about to make it official: He's running for president.
According to the Politico, the Law & Order star's announcement will come near the Fourth of July. The New York Times "Caucus Blog" suggests that date might not be accurate, but that an announcement would likely come "sooner rather than later."
A number of Republicans haven't been shy about their distaste for the current field of candidates, and in the past several months, a couple of "draft Fred" sites have popped up on the Internet: www.fred08.com, draftfredthompson.com, etc. Some Tennessee powerhouse politicians have been high on the idea, too, including former Senate Majority Leader and one-time prospective candidate Bill Frist.
Of course, there are a few in the GOP who aren't likely to be so pleased.
One is Arizona Sen. John McCain, who had some difficulty raising money earlier this year. The stories circulating today indicate Thompson may already have raised several million dollars. (If Thompson does start raising money for a potential presidential bid, he has ten days to file with the Federal Election Commission, making his likely June 4 filing acceptable under the protocol.)
Another is former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who's starting to surge in some of the early state polls. Without even having entered the race, Thompson is running strong and tied with Romney in a number of national polls.
Then there are those who might feel Thompson doesn't fit the conservative mold, given his two marriages and his Hollywood ties. And some wonder how much he really wants to be president.
Posted at 12:09 PM
Posted to:
Campaigns, Fred Thompson, Republicans, WH 2008
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