Posted on 06/26/2007 11:44:34 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Former Sen. Fred Thompson has taken his first step toward organizing a campaign for Iowa's leadoff presidential nominating caucuses by hiring a top Iowa Republican campaign staff member, aides to Thompson confirmed Monday.
Thompson has signed Andrew Dorr to serve as his Midwest political director should the actor and Tennessee Republican run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008.
"This is the kind of stellar team Senator Thompson is attracting as he continues to move forward in his determinations," Thompson spokesman Mark Corallo said. "It means Senator Thompson will be ready, should he decide to run, and will have the right team in place to be successful when it's time to go to the caucuses."
Dorr most recently worked as 2006 GOP gubernatorial nominee Jim Nussle's political director, having started in Iowa caucus politics in 2000 for then-Gov. George W. Bush. Dorr, 28, later worked for Bush's re-election campaign as deputy Midwest political director, concentrating on Iowa.
Thompson is expected to announce his plans in the coming weeks. This month he formed an organization that allows him to raise money to hire staff and travel as he decides whether to join the crowded 2008 GOP candidate field.
He has not decided yet whether he will participate in the Ames straw poll, a high-profile Iowa GOP fundraiser set for mid-August.
Details for the event are taking shape while state party officials await word from Thompson.
Iowa Republican Party officials have set the speaking order and determined where each of the eight candidates planning to attend the party fundraising event will pitch their tents around Iowa State University's Hilton Coliseum on Aug. 11.
Thompson was not represented at a meeting in Des Moines last week where the presidential campaigns planning to attend the Ames event were assigned their spots, officials said.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who has been the most aggressive about organizing for the fundraiser, will start the series of 20-minute speeches at 12:30 p.m.
Romney will be followed by U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado, Chicago businessman John Cox, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter of California, former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson and Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas.
The eight have committed at least $15,000 each to reserve space to feed and entertain their supporters and other activists.
Individual tickets cost $35 and allow holders to vote at one of dozens of voting machines set up in and around Hilton.
In the past, campaigns have bought blocks of tickets and often bused their supporters to the event.
Earlier this month, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said he would not prepare for the costly straw poll arrangements, and Sen. John McCain of Arizona abandoned his plans to compete in the straw poll. Their names will still be on the ballot.
Giuliani's and McCain's decisions have thrown into question the significance of the Ames event to the 2008 presidential nomination race. The event has become a traditional first test of Republican candidates' strength in Iowa, the leadoff caucus state.
Chuck Laudner, executive director of the Iowa Republican Party, said Fred Thompson would be inserted into the speaking lineup should he decide to participate in the straw poll.
"If Fred gets in or the others change their mind, they'll get put in the middle," Laudner said. "The others don't want to wait on planning their day."
Oh, it might. If Romney loses Iowa and McCain and Guiliani continue to crater, Thompson could conceivably win virtually every primary.
Running on a Border Security/Leave-In Conditioner platform, no doubt! Could be formidable!
We have a lot of time until the caucus.
You didn’t deny it.
Outlier -- the numbers are so out of whack with both national averages and other California polls that it has to be a clunker. Two more reputable polls have Romney in a distant 4th, behind Guiliani (1st/1st), Thompson (t-2nd/2nd), and McCain (t-2nd/3rd).
We'll see. ;)
It is quite possible.
You do realize that your ridiculous comments win your guy Romney no converts and also set up "expectations" so high that all Thompson has to do is finish within 10% of Romney for it to look like Romney failed, don't you?
Yeah, silly him. He should play the role of a cocky newbie poster that is overly fond of counting winnings he doesn’t have yet. That’s the ticket to getting a candidate really far!
Like 8% or whatever it was in just about every poll including the one at FR.
It was a robo poll, about as reliable as an internet poll. I would be embarrassed if I published that poll as a serious poll.
Good to know.
Now, as for defending my candidate, I suggest you might want to rethink your tactic of finding Fred threads to bash Fred on. Doesn't do wonders for your own candidate.
Look, I am not bashing him. Just saying he doesn’t have much of a chance in Iowa. Believe me, Fred is not indestructable.
The reality is that Iowa is not over and just saying it is doesn't make it so.
Thompson will need overcome the lazy rap. No reason he can't throw himself into the battle for the Ames straw poll. Seeing him roll up his sleeves, fire up that hokey truck and get out on the hustings in a fair fight for Ames straw poll would help squash that problem.
If he doesn't want to wade into the fray at Ames, what is the excuse?
-Romney dumped tons of cash into his campaign there
-Rudy and McCain may or may not even show
-Fred hasn't even declared and has spent no cash there yet
If Romney wins, no surprise. If anyone else makes a good showing, even if Romney wins, then it's a black mark against him.
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