According to Polls, Fred Thompson Foundering

Wash Post ^ | 11/13/07 | Chris Cillizza

[pissant]

The American electorate is a fickle mistress. Just ask former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.).

When Thompson announced his candidacy for president just after Labor Day most national polls showed him running a close second behind former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and the majority of state polls had him in the top three.

No longer. Thompson's campaign has yet to take off as expected and voters -- especially in crucial early states like Iowa, New Hampshire and Florida.

The most recent data comes from New Hampshire where two surveys were released over the weekend. The first, conducted by theUniversity of New Hampshire for the Boston Globe, put Thompson in sixth (yes, SIXTH) place with just three percent of the vote. (Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney led the way with 32 percent.) In a Marist University poll Thompson again took sixth place with just five percent support. To be clear, Thompson was never a frontrunner in New Hampshire but polls conducted in the run-up to his announcement and just after he formally entered the race show him regularly polling in double digits.

Thompson's shrinking support is apparent in other early states as well. The last three polls taken in Iowa put Thompson in fourth, fifth and fourth place, respectively, and his high water mark in any of those surveys is 11 percent. In Florida, too, Thompson appears to be fading. A new poll conducted for the Miami Herald and St. Petersburg Times showed Thompson in fifth place (eight percent) behind Giuliani (36 percent), Romney (19 percent), Arizona Sen. John McCain (12 percent) and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (nine percent).

[pissant]

Time to ditch Fred and join the Hunter Campaign folks.

[pissant]

ping

[kevkrom]

I thought we were supposed to ignore polls and vote our consciences? Now, all of a sudden you find a couple of polls you like and we’re supposed to react like Pavlov’s dogs?

[McGruff]

Are you saying this poll is fixed?

Free Republic Opinion Poll: (11/12) Three way runoff: Which one of the following candidates should pro-life conservatives rally behind to defeat the liberal abortionists Rudy Giuliani and Hillary Clinton?

Composite Opinion
Fred Thompson	45.2%		732
Duncan Hunter	39.5%		641
Mitt Romney	15.3%		248
	100.0%		1,621
Member Opinion
Fred Thompson	49.9%		476
Duncan Hunter	37.7%		359
Mitt Romney	12.4%		118
	100.0%		953
Non-Member Opinion
Duncan Hunter	42.2%		282
Fred Thompson	38.3%		256
Mitt Romney	19.5%		130
	100.0%		668

[ More Opinion Polls · Return to Forum ]

[bcsco]

Time to ditch Fred and join the Hunter Campaign folks.

So you say :)

[Dr. Sivana]

I don’t think any of us thought of New Hampshire as Thompson’s strong suit. Like with Tsongas, it could be considered a virtual home state for Romney. Giuliani is placing 5th in Iowa.

Interestingly, the article doesn’t mention South Carolina. Most discount the possibility, but we may be heading towards a three or four way brokered convention.

[pissant]

Nope. But it is time to heed this one...for the sake of our Republic and Reaganism.

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/poll?poll=197;results=1

[pissant]

It does mention SC. Fred has the lead.

[pissant]

Well, That has always been the reason Fredheads gave me for not supporting Hunter. Let’s give Hunter a ride in the polls, and watch him squash Rudy McRombee.

[Badeye]

According to polls at this time in 2004, so was John Kerry (13% in the polls at that moment).

We won’t know who’s ‘for real’ and who is not til the first two primaries, at the earliest.

[freekitty]

Exactly. Let’s start getting these conservatives in office.

[brownsfan]

Fred isn’t getting face time, nor is he showing passion when he does. He seems like he thinks it might be nice to be president. That won’t get it done.

[pissant]

Hunter vs. Thompson

http://duncanhunter2008.us/Hunter-Thompson%20flyer.pdf

[rightinthemiddle]

There has been a fear of Fred Thompson among the media types since rumors started about his campaign.

They’re afraid he’ll make Hillary look bad in a debate.

Being rather shallow themselves, they think many people will vote for him because he’s a “star.”

I like Duncan Hunter a LOT...but he’s not going to win the nomination. I wish it wasn’t so. Rudy was in my home town yesterday and I didn’t go see him.

Fred is a Conservative and Fred can win. I don’t want have to hold my nose and vote for Rudy.

[LIConFem]

Thanks, but I don't take marching orders from the Washington Post.

That said, I'm back in the undecided column between Hunter and Thompson, but only because I don't perceive any of the Democrat candidates as being as tough to beat as I once thought. And that means Hunter may have a better chance than I had imagined (in the general -- I still think Romney, Giuliani or Thompson will get the 'Pubbie nod).

[kevkrom]

Hunter’s poll numbers are the effect of running a poor campaign, not the cause of it.

[MrB]

Considering the source,

I would say that their constant flogging of Fred means he’s the one we should back.

They’re afraid of Thompson, more than anyone else on the GOP side.

[Petronski]

Fred's only tied for second, time to drop him and back the guy stuck below the margin of error!

[colorado tanker]

Fred came in too late to do much in Iowa or New Hampshire, where he’s just going through the motions. The whole ball game for him is South Carolina, where he must win to carry any “mo” into huge number of primaries close behind.

[ejonesie22]

Yeah, you are right...

Let me call National Right to Life and let them know they need to get on board too....