"Actor-politician Fred Thompson moves ahead with likely presidential candidacy"

“Actor-politician Fred Thompson moves ahead with likely presidential candidacy”
International Herald Tribune – 5/30/2007

WASHINGTON: Fred Thompson, the former U.S. senator and “Law & Order” actor, is taking significant steps toward an expected summer entry into the crowded Republican presidential race.

His likely candidacy could give restless conservatives somewhere to turn.

A crucial Republican bloc, those voters have not fully embraced the leading contenders, giving Thompson what his backers argue is an opening for a “true conservative” who can win in November 2008.

The 64-year-old would bring a right-leaning Senate voting record and a dash of Hollywood star power given his many movie roles and TV stint as the gruff district attorney on NBC’s popular crime drama.

With a Thompson bid, all three top-tier Republican candidates — Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and Mitt Romney — could lose some measure of support and the seven underdogs could become even more irrelevant.

Thompson will make his first formal campaign move in the coming days, establishing an official organization to evaluate a White House campaign while launching a major fundraising drive on Monday, according to several Republicans with knowledge of his plans.

Speaking on condition of anonymity because the schedule is not public, these officials said Thompson may visit early primary states in late June and could officially enter the race as early as the first week in July.

“Senator Thompson is still seriously considering getting into the presidential contest and he is doing everything he has to do to make that final decision,” said Mark Corallo, a Thompson spokesman. “Stay tuned.”

For months, Thompson has openly flirted with a candidacy. He made several high-profile moves that pointed to a bid, including disclosing that he is in remission after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, a form of cancer.

His popularity in national polls spiked to double digits early in the year, but while he still fares well in surveys, his numbers have fallen following what some Republicans considered a subpar speech in early May in California.

Undaunted, Thompson has been casting himself as a straight-talking conservative in the mold of former President Ronald Reagan.

During his 1994-2002 Senate tenure, he was considered a reliably conservative vote.

He worked to limit the role of the federal government and backed a ban on a late-term abortion procedure. He voted in favor of oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, eliminating money for the National Endowment for the Arts and a constitutional amendment to ban flag desecration. He voted against requiring criminal background checks for purchases at gun shows.

But he sometimes took paths that did not necessarily sit well with conservatives, including advocating for campaign finance reform. While he voted to oust President Bill Clinton from office, he also was one of 10 Republican senators who voted against one of the two impeachment charges.

Yet, he established a reputation as a less-than-hard worker. The Democratic National Committee issued a research document Wednesday detailing Thompson’s major legislative accomplishments. Save for the title and a DNC disclaimer, it was blank.

Romney said he welcomed a Thompson entry. “I think he’ll make the race more interesting. He’s got good ideas and after all, he does put bad people in jail every week on ‘Law & Order,’” he said.

Giuliani said he would welcome Thompson, but argued that he was the stronger candidate based on his record of cutting taxes and fighting terrorism as well as his ability to win a general election.

Over the next few days, Thompson plans to form a “testing the waters” committee called “Friends of Fred Thompson,” which will allow him to begin raising money, hire staff and gauge support without officially committing to a White House bid.

He could significantly dampen the fundraising ability of his potential Republican rivals during the end of the second quarter financial reporting period.

“It’s going to cause everybody to have second thoughts about writing a check,” said Scott Reed, a Republican strategist who is unaligned in the race.

Thompson spoke on a conference call Wednesday to several dozen people who officials called “First Day Founders” and said committed to raising money for him. Participants said they were asked to raise $46,000 (€34,277) apiece, the $2,300 (€1,713) maximum from 10 couples or 20 people.

Officials cautioned that Thompson has made no final decision.