Thompson Hints at Run and Racks Up Double Digits in IA, NH
New numbers from the American Research Group show great promise for the potential presidential campaign of Thompson — no, no, not that Thompson — Fred Thompson.
In what appears to be a desperate attempt to find the ‘next Reagan,’ rank-and-file Republicans may have taken that straight to heart. Thompson, a former senator from Tennessee and “Arthur Branch” on television’s Law & Order, earned shockingly high numbers for a non-candidate. (Doesn’t hurt to blur the line with his character on Law & Order and then position yourself as the tough district attorney-type, does it?)
Fred Thompson goes on television and says he is thinking about running for president and — out of the gate — his numbers shoot up to 12 percent in Iowa and 10 percent in New Hampshire. It took former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney weeks to crack double digits in most polls.
Thompson passed Romney and non-candidate former Speaker Newt Gingrich in the crucial Iowa, and nipping at Newt’s rear in New Hampshire.
Rudy Giuliani, former New York City mayor, holds a ten point lead in Texas, but ties Arizona Senator John McCain in Iowa and trails McCain in New Hampshire by four points.
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9 Comments, Comment or Ping
Matt Browner Hamlin
I don’t know how you write this whole post and fail to mention that Huckabee is up HUGE in Arkansas. No candidate even comes close to 40% in any other state in this poll!
[/ sarcasm]
March 23, 2007
Matt Ortega
Call it:
3/23/07, 4:36pm PDT: Huckabee wins Arkansas.
March 23, 2007
matt
thompson’s numbers are not shocking, he is getting some support from hard line rank and file republicans, and its not that huge a number for a non-candidate, considering gingrich and gore both get similar numbers in most polls and they have the same non-candidate status. and just like gore, thompson is extremely unlikely to be able to overtake the frontrunner, although his attempts appear to be similar to gingrich’s, to get the second slot on a giuliani ticket. he is in no position to raise the money necessary to win, combine that with his age and his hagel-like indecision and its hard to see him winning any major support. his entrance at this point seems to be a natural attempt at the vp slot, to sure up the party and the ticket, and bring out a wide range of republican support instead of just the middle or just the right.
clinton/richardson or clinton/edwards will take on a giuliani/thompson, giuliani/gingrich or a giuliani/bush ticket come 2008.
March 23, 2007
matt
and considering gore flat out said he won’t run and he still gets 10-15% in most polls, by this site’s own logic, shows more indecision on the left then the right about their prospective candidates.
no one questions how giuliani would handle a crisis, however, the questions are abundant to how a morally bankrupt first lady or a learning-as-he-goes half term senator would handle crisis after crisis, so its not surprising the left wants the experience of gore over the media hype of the current left field.
March 23, 2007
Matt Browner Hamlin
Yawn.
thompson is extremely unlikely to be able to overtake the frontrunner
Yeah with a mere ten months before the first primary it’s unlikely that we’ll see any changes in standings in the polls. If we’ve learned anything from the last hundred years of American politics, it’s that nominees are set a year before the primaries end. Nothing could possibly precipitate changes of any kind.
although his attempts appear to be similar to gingrich’s, to get the second slot on a giuliani ticket.
I hadn’t known Gore was seeking the Republican VP slot.
half term senator
I didn’t know 4/6 = 1/2.
March 23, 2007
Matt Ortega
Um, Matt, Obama was elected in 2004 and sworn-in January 2005.
So that would be 2 years of a his 6 year term, or 1/3.
March 24, 2007
matt
by the time the primaries are held he would have served 3 years, meaning the liberals would have nominated a half term senator for the presidency, but nice of you to point out how even more inexperienced obama currently is, making his potential candidacy more ridiculous every day.
and browneye, i very clearly said thompson was similar to gore because niether will overtake the frontrunner, and similar to gingrich in that the #2 spot seems to be what he most desires by his actions.
“If we’ve learned anything from the last hundred years of American politics…”
take out your history book and look again, because if you had paid attention in class you would know that republicans almost never flip on the frontrunner. mccain was named the frontrunner by the liberal media who just assumed he would be due to his performance in 2000. but anyone reading the polls since 2001 knows that the most favorable republican, and overall candidate alive, was and is rudolph giuliani. republicans historically stick with the frontrunner, and rudy is it by miles.
try to keep up fellas, or this might be a long year for you guys.
March 24, 2007
Matt Browner Hamlin
Sorry Matt O., I was counting from inauguration to inauguration and not saying where he will be now, but where he will be were he to win the presidency (2005 to 2009).
OK matt, you’re making a very particular argument here — that this election cycle will play out like past Republican cycles and they will go for the guy who’s a frontrunner. But I think conventionally Republicans go for the guy whose turn it is to be the nominee. I don’t think it’s about backing frontrunners, but backing the guy who’s served his time.
I don’t think the GOP will pick the nominee the same way this time. Evidence of that is the fact that a socially liberal mayor with no foreign policy experience is leading the Republican field. That’s certainly outside the recent tradition of the GOP (GWB was a socially conservative governor with no foreign policy experience).
I think the Republican nomination is going to be a very interesting back and forth between traditional subsets of their base and candidates that don’t clear mesh 1:1 onto their base. It’s been very interesting so far and that’s why I’ll cover it. Even if Giuliani goes wire to wire and never falls behind in the polls (something I doubt), it will be a very interesting and very important year. That’s why I’m covering it.
So matt, even if you’re right about Rudy, I hope you’re wrong that it’s going to be monotone from here on out.
March 24, 2007
Matt Ortega
Ah, MBH, you’re quite the forward thinker.
March 24, 2007
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