Thompson To Enter GOP Presidential Race
Republican Fred Thompson, whose entry into the presidential race has been long anticipated, will officially launch his candidacy Sept. 6 in a Webcast on his campaign site, followed by a five-day tour of early primary states.
The preliminary campaign of the former Tennessee senator and "Law & Order" star disclosed details about how he will formally enter the race in a Thursday afternoon conference call with supporters.
House parties will be held nationwide on Sept. 6. A tour of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina will quickly follow the Internet announcement on www.imwithfred.com, with later stops in Florida, and a homecoming event in Lawrenceburg, Tenn., on Sept. 15.
Next Wednesday, Thompson will appear on NBC's "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" but he won't participate with his Republican rivals in a debate that same night in New Hampshire.
Now that Thompson's entry into the race is practically a done deal, CBS News chief political correspondent Jeff Greenfield reports that Republicans are asking what he'll bring to the table.
For openers, there's his 35 years in the public limelight, from Watergate, to eight years in the U.S. Senate, to all his acting roles - most recently as the "Law & Order" district attorney Arthur Branch. It's a blend of experience and celebrity that should play well in the view of Tennessee Rep. Zach Wamp, an ardent supporter.
"He's very smart and savvy politically, and I think he'll present the kind of united front that our party needs," Wamp tells CBS News.
Thompson, 65, brings to the eight-man GOP field a right-leaning Senate voting record with a few digressions from party orthodoxy and a healthy dose of Hollywood star power. He is hoping to attract conservatives who are lukewarm about the current crop of candidates.
Earlier this year, Thompson saw his popularity soar in polls when he acknowledged he was considering a run. Since then, he's consistently ranked among the top Republicans in national polls and surveys in key states alike. In April, he disclosed that he was diagnosed in 2004 with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a highly treatable form of cancer.
He has spent months "testing the waters" of a presidential campaign, playing coy with the public about his intentions even as he opened campaign offices, started raising money and hired a campaign staff. But his preliminary campaign stumbled this summer, fueling doubts that Thompson has what it takes to mount a challenge to top contenders Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and John McCain.
"The level of excitement over Thompson's candidacy has waned somewhat over the course of the summer," said CBSNews.com senior political editor Vaughn Ververs. "It's not too late, but he needs jump into this thing with full force in order to regain some of that momentum."
Organizationally, Thompson underwent a series of staffing changes, including the replacement of his manager-in-waiting, and other aide departures amid consternation about the active role of Thompson's wife, Jeri. At the same time, little progress was made setting up organizations in key states.
Thompson also failed on the fundraising front to reach the $5 million goal his backers had set for the first month he sought to bring in cash, and he dramatically lags his top rivals in money. He reported a lackluster $3.5 million.
He also faced questions this summer about his career as a lobbyist, including his work for a family planning group seeking to relax an abortion rule and work on behalf of a Tennessee savings and loans in favor of legislation that loosened federal oversight.
His delayed entrance into the race - which at one point was to occur in July - has prompted rumblings in Washington and early primary states that he may have missed his window.