Thompson Unfazed By Low Poll Numbers

CBS/New York Times Survey Puts GOP Hopeful In Single Digits In Iowa, N.H.

(AP)  Republican presidential hopeful Fred Thompson brushed off concerns Thursday about his single-digit showings in recent Iowa and New Hampshire polls, saying he expects a new television ad on immigration will help boost his numbers.

"In the past, a lot of things have changed in the Iowa presidential elections - Howard Dean can tell you that," he said, referring to 2004 when Dean's third-place showing in Iowa derailed his campaign for the Democratic nomination.

"So you've just got to do what you do and keep at it and understand that the end of the day is all that counts," he said.

CBS/New York Times polls in Iowa and New Hampshire show Thompson at 9 and 5 percent for Republicans, respectively. Mitt Romney leads both states with 34 percent in New Hampshire and 27 percent in Iowa.

Thompson, who was in New York for a fundraiser and a closed town-hall meeting, said he expects his recently released television ad in Iowa to help sway voters in that crucial state. The ad stresses the need to secure U.S. borders and enforce immigration laws.

Illegal immigration has divided Republicans and remains a critical issue to many GOP voters. This past summer, Arizona Sen. John McCain supported legislation that would have strengthened border security and allowed for many illegal immigrants to become citizens. The leading GOP contenders, Romney and Rudy Giuliani, both opposed the legislation, which was backed by President Bush but failed in the Senate.

On Thursday, Thompson reiterated that the government should strip federal dollars from cities and states that don't report illegal immigrants, and he criticized Giuliani for "going to court to preserve sanctuary cities" while he was mayor of New York City.

Giuliani has defended New York's so-called sanctuary policy, which stopped city workers from reporting suspected illegal immigrants. He sued the federal government to keep his city's policy.

"If we will enforce the border, if we will stop inducements like sanctuary cities, and we will tell employers that they're going to have to obey the law too, then over a period of time, this situation will turn much to the good," Thompson said.

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Read The Complete CBS News/NY Times Poll

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The former Tennessee senator tried to highlight other differences between himself and Giuliani, who has been a supporter of gun control and abortion. Thompson is opposed to both.

He also said the Romney campaign should stop "whining" about losing the National Right To Life Committee's endorsement to him. Thompson said he believed the endorsement would help at the polls.

Romney's spokesman Kevin Madden called Thompson's comments "silly."

"Our campaign respects those in the pro-life community that are working with other candidates in this race, the same way we respect and value those pro-life advocates who are helping our campaign," he said.