All Agog Over Thompson
The former senator and veteran actor faces his audition for the role of a lifetime
He has a resonant baritone voice and an imposing physical presence. He has strong conservative credentials and a background in both government and the private sector. He has proven communication skills honed by his work on television and in the movies.
If Fred Thompson sounds like the conservative candidate from central casting—a latter-day Ronald Reagan—that's exactly the image he wants to project as he prepares to enter the race for the White House, probably in the next few weeks. Thompson's plan is to make as big a splash as he can, to generate both a tidal wave of positive publicity and an outpouring of campaign contributions that would propel him to the top of the GOP heap. Adds a Republican strategist who is ready to join Thompson's bandwagon: "If he gets into the race, as we all expect, he will be a strong contender from Day 1."
In many ways, he already is. The latest Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg survey finds that former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani holds a slight lead for the GOP presidential nomination, with 26 percent of Republicans supporting his candidacy. But not-yet-a-candidate Thompson has risen to 21 percent while Arizona Sen. John McCain dropped to 12 percent. Other polls show Giuliani in the lead with about 30 percent; Thompson and McCain tied at about 18 percent, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney at or just below 10 percent.
Charisma. Not bad for a man who has no state-by-state organization, no campaign treasury, and no long-time national base in the GOP. But many conservatives, even though they have only a rudimentary idea of Thompson's positions, suspect that he has enough Reagan-style charisma to unite the party more effectively than anyone else in the field.
All this has made Fred Dalton Thompson, 64, the former senator from Tennessee, the hottest property in the Republican race, at least for now. But things will get a lot tougher for him. "If he gets in, he will need to raise a bundle of money very quickly to maintain his momentum and maintain his credibility," says a potential backer with strong ties to Thompson's home state. Political professionals say each of the top candidates must raise $25 million in the second quarter to maximize credibility, and the lesser candidates will need $5 million each to be taken seriously.
A senior GOP analyst adds that Thompson will need to quickly set himself apart from his rivals with clear talk on the major issues, from immigration to the war in Iraq. "People are looking for someone who will talk straight and not give them the wishy-washy stuff that comes from Washington," he says. "He will need to take bold stands."
Whether he does that is anyone's guess, but Thompson's looming candidacy is already draining support away from the other major candidates, mostly from McCain. "More than anything, it's because of McCain's mistakes," says a spokesman for a rival campaign. "He is on the wrong side of the issues that primary voters care about, especially immigration." McCain backs a compromise bill unveiled in the Senate several weeks ago, putting him at odds with many conservatives who view the legislation as too lenient on workers who entered the United States illegally. In fact, stopping illegal immigration is one of the most emotional issues within the GOP. This has resurrected past conservative concerns about McCain that while he is a man of conviction, his views frequently run counter to the base of his party. McCain strategists say the race is fluid and his stands on principle will carry him to victory in the end.
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