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Thompson Commits to Iowa

(CBS)
From CBS News' John Bentley:

Iowa is shaping up to be an incredibly interesting race for the Republican nomination, and Fred Thompson says he will be committing himself to the state from mid-December through the primary on January 3rd.

"I'm going to be in Iowa just about every day from now on," Thompson said at the Iowa Farm Bureau "Tastes of Iowa" Dinner in Des Moines Friday night.

Thompson has been criticized for his late entry into the race, but his campaign says it's not how much time you spend on the trail, but when you spend it.

"History shows that Iowa caucus-goers make up their minds in the final weeks of the campaign," said Thompson campaign spokesman Darrel Ng. "Fred Thompson will be campaigning at the time when the people have traditionally paid the most attention."

This was Thompson's sixth visit to the state. He is currently battling Rudy Giuliani for a third place finish there, behind Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney.

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