Thompson Sets Up Exploratory Committee

Christmas Shopping at The American Mind Store »

Thompson Sets Up Exploratory Committee

by Sean Hackbarth

Tommy Thompson threw his hat into the 2008 Presidential race in the kabuki sort of way all candidates do: he set up an exploratory committee. The most important aspect of the committee is it allows him to raise money. And he’ll need a ton of it:

“This is not easy. By June he’s got to have raised between, let’s say, $35 and $50 million to be considered a viable candidate. And he’s not alone,” said Jennifer Duffy, editor of the Washington, D.C.-based Cook Political Report, an independent nonpartisan newsletter on electoral politics.

Thompson also tapped a former Iowa GOP chairman, Steve Grubbs, to run his Iowa campaign. Grubbs previously worked for Steve Forbes and Sen. Bob Dole.

So next summer when the money isn’t rolling in like Tommy hopes he’ll end his quest. I like the guy since he served Wisconsin well. Realistically it will be very hard for Tommy to get traction. Republicans don’t often pick a long-shot for their nominee. Since Wisconsin is a neighbor of Iowa success at the caucuses will be minimized. Being big on ethanol will help him in that agricultural state so I won’t discount him completely. I wish Tommy the best.

“Thompson Tests Waters for Presidential Campaign”

Save and Share: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 16th, 2006 at 8:25 am and is filed under 2008 Presidential Race. You can trackback from your own site.

5 Responses to “Thompson Sets Up Exploratory Committee”

Tommy Thompson…

. . . has entered the fray for 2008…….

Posted by Little Miss Attila on December 16th, 2006

He’s a successful governor. No successful governor can be completely discounted if history is any guide.

McCain and Giuliani are unacceptable to a large portion of the base. Romney is a Mormon and although skillfull at navigating blue state politics, he doesn’t have any real accomplishments other than health care reform. Thompson is the most qualified then, in terms of actual an actual governing record. That’s why he has to be taken seriously.

Posted by Adam Herman on December 18th, 2006

It sounded like you were completely against his run in the previous article you wrote.

I swear your opinions are beginning to remind me of a super fast electric meter.

Posted by Jeff MacMillan on December 18th, 2006

Like I said I like Tommy but I’m not sure I’d vote for him in the GOP primary. While governor he let the road builders build and build and build whether the state needed all that new concrete or know. With the public schools he made the state pay more of it allowing local school districts to increase property taxes. On the good side Tommy was great at school choice, welfare reform, and instilling state pride. So Tommy’s history is a mixed bag. Then there’s Tommy on foreign policy which amounts to “medical diplomacy” whatever that means.

Posted by Sean Hackbarth on December 18th, 2006

Gov. Thompson Forms Presidential Exploratory Committee…

Former Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson has tossed his hat into the race for the 2008 GOP presidential nomination forming an exploratory committee and has tapped a former Iowa GOP chairman, Steve Grubbs, to runhis Iowa campaign. Grubbs previously work…

Posted by ElephantBiz on December 22nd, 2006