Former Senator Enters Presidential Race
Former Tennessee Republican Senator, Fred Thompson entered the Presidential race tonight during an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The already crowded and unimpressive field now adds the part time movie and TV actor to its roster. He enters the race with a remarkable measure of support in national and state polls. He had placed as high as second in polls in Iowa and New Hampshire prior to making his formal announcement. He was able to remain above the fray, in a sense, semi participating in the campaign while safely out of the line of fire. That will all change tomorrow.
Thompson, or perhaps the idea of Thompson, had great appeal for many Republican primary voters less than enthusiastic with the current batch of announced candidates. However, as he remained on the sidelines, a lurking presence, some of that goodwill evaporated. Rather than enter the race during his moment of greatest, spontaneous support, he chose to hold out until after Labor Day for reasons clear only to his closest aides and himself. Like the top round draft pick who holds out and misses the preseason, Thompson will have some catching up to do in both organization and fund raising as well as on the stump. It is one thing to be a phantom candidate, a potential candidate and an actual candidate. He may quickly discover just how much he has missed during his prolonged hold out.
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