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Fred Thompson

A tough audition

The candidate

Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times

Would he or wouldn't he? Throughout the summer, Fred Thompson kept the public and the pundits guessing about his intentions. Then, in early September, on a day Republican candidates for president were debating in New Hampshire, the former Tennessee senator and "Law & Order" actor changed the calculus of the campaign with a simple statement to a national TV audience: "I'm running for president of the United States," Thompson said on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno." The audience cheered loudly, but would the second act play as well? Would he be able to claim the mantle as the only true conservative in the race? He'd soon start to find out when he took his campaign to Iowa.

Thompson, cast as an early favorite, is struggling to connect with the public
December 30, 2007

In the months of anticipation before former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson officially entered the race for the Republican presidential nomination, the lawyer-actor-politician was regarded as a formidable contender. Social conservatives were considered likely to coalesce behind his candidacy.

And given his Hollywood background and 6-foot-5 frame, Thompson was expected to cut an impressive figure on the campaign trail. Instead, he often has been anything but.

 
He tends to hunch as he speaks, failing to make eye contact with the folks in the audience. Widely seen as lethargic on the trail, he has tried to turn the apparent lack of passion into a virtue, portraying himself as a man of sound judgment.

In his TV ads, Thompson also has cast himself as someone with "common-sense conservative principles," and he calls himself the only real conservative in the race. He highlights his support for tax cuts and opposition to abortion. Thompson also has taken a hard line against illegal immigration, pledging to punish employers that hire undocumented workers and to eliminate "sanctuary cities."

During the final Republican debate in Iowa, Thompson scored points with some observers when he rebuffed the moderator, who asked for a show of hands on a question about global warming. "I'm not giving it to you," he said. He since has boasted that he won the debate "hands down."

Still, polls show his support as weak -- and slipping -- in the early-voting states. Thompson is banking most on the Jan. 19 primary in South Carolina, where his folksy Tennessee style has connected better with voters. -- Joe Mathews




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