August 13, 2007
Rebuffed By Iowans, Tommy Thompson Heads Home
After spending months (and millions) touring the state of Iowa in his bid to woo caucus voters the old-fashioned way, GOP presidential hopeful Tommy Thompson is packing up and heading home.
True to his word, the former Wisconsin governor took a good, hard look at his prospects for winning the GOP nomination after finishing a disappointing sixth in this weekend's Iowa straw poll and decided it was time to move on.
"I have no regrets about running," Thompson said Sunday in a statement. "I felt my record as governor of Wisconsin and secretary of Health and Human Services gave me the experience I needed to serve as president, but I respect the decision of the voters."
While first- and second-tier candidates Rudy Giuliani and John McCain declined to participate in the Ames straw poll, traditionally considered a bellwether in the GOP race, Thompson stuck to a strictly Iowa-centric strategy, hoping that his brand of Midwestern pragmatism would appeal to Hawkeye Republicans.
Thompson achieved his goal of visiting all 99 counties in the state and ran two policy-heavy ads there focused on two of the most important issues to GOP voters -- Iraq and immigration.
Just weeks before the straw poll, he declared he'd be "shocked" if he didn't come in first or second. Thompson also said that if he didn't meet that goal, he'd exit the race.
That was a campaign promise he promptly fulfilled when he became the second Republican to leave the race (former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore bowed out last month) on Sunday. "I am leaving the campaign trail today," he said, "but I will not leave the challenges of improving health care and welfare in America."
Thompson's pragmatic, think-tanky approach to those issues may have been his undoing. While the well-funded Mitt Romney swept the poll with 30 percent as expected, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee made a strong showing in second thanks in part to his folksy charm and sense of humor. Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback finished third after taking direct swipes at Romney on social issues.
What may be most surprising about the poll's result is not Thompson's loss to Huckabee and Brownback. The Des Moines Register's David Yepsen predicted last week that the three candidates would be locked in a tight race for second and third. But it was anti-immigration Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo and libertarian-leaning Texas Rep. Ron Paul who took fourth and fifth place, respectively, leaving Thompson with just 7 percent when the dust cleared on Saturday.
Thompson now says he plans to return to the private sector. Meanwhile, it looks like Iowa won't be at a loss for GOP presidential candidates named "Thompson" for very long. Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, who hasn't officially declared his candidacy yet, plans to make his first campaign stops in the Hawkeye State this week.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Washington Post have more on Tommy Thompson's exit from the race.
Graphics: Reuben Dalke
Posted at 1:12 PM
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Campaigns, Fred Thompson, Jim Gilmore, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, Sam Brownback, Tom Tancredo, Tommy Thompson, WH 2008
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