You could say that a surge seems to be happening here in the United States as well….a political surge…in the GOP, where former Senator and TV actor Fred Thompson is coming on strong, according to USA Today’s Gallup Guru:
Our latest weekend USA Today/Gallup poll is full of interesting insights into American public opinion. Tops among them may be the changing landscape of the Republican primary field.
Of course it’s early and much can change. But, as I noted here, that’s the point. We do not hold out that the candidates you see in the lead now are going to get their party’s nomination. But the process by which the candidates move up and down in the minds of their party faithful in correspondence to what’s happening in the real world is fascinating and important.
This most current poll of Republicans included in the list, for the first time, actor, lawyer and former Senator Fred Thompson. I’m not sure what voters may think about Thompson’s performance in The Hunt for Red October as the rather stilted Rear Admiral Joshua Painter. But he’s certainly creating a mini-stir of attention from rank and file Republicans. Thompson now gets getting 12% of the GOP vote. At the same time, Rudy Giuliani is down 13 points, and Mitt Romney has sunk from 8% to 3%.
Given that John McCain comes in at 22% — little changed — Thompson is suddenly in third place among Republicans.
Fred Newport further adds that Rep. Duncan Hunter would probably get 12 percent, too at this point, and Thompson’s positions aren’t totally outlined yet. But that’s a journalistic hedge: it’s clear from the first part of his piece that he sees a shift. Giuliani and Romney are not closing the sale and customers are turning with keen interest to look over Thompson.
Meanwhile, the Washington Post reports that Thompson is not just toying with the idea of running:
Looks like Fred Thompson really isn’t teasing about possibly running for president.
The actor and former Republican senator from Tennessee was spotted having lunch today at the see-and-be-seen Mayflower hotel restaurant with GOP Party guru Ed Gillespie, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee who has advised and groomed many a successful GOP candidate over the years.
Sources say Thompson, currently of “Law and Order” fame,” and Gillespie were locked in a serious conversation, even though they were repeatedly interrupted by conventioneer types – aka, real people – wanting to chat with the actor/politician. No one we spoke with heard the “P” word come out of Thompson’s mouth but it appeared the lunch was “intense,” according to one source.
Thompson wouldn’t be able to hire Gillespie, of Quinn Gillespie and Associates, since Gillespie is chairing the Republican Party of Virginia and, therefore, must remain neutral in the presidential primary. But Gillespie is a friend. The two bonded during the Senate confirmation hearing of now Chief Justice John Roberts – Thompson was Roberts’ White House-appointed sherpa; Gillespie was the White House’s front man on the confirmation process.
It’s no secret that many conservatives would have loved to have Jeb Bush run this year but many (including, it seems) feel the public for some reason has overdosed on another Bush on the ballot for 2008. Thompson seems one of the few candidates that excites true conservatives in this race. And the Thompson candidacy boomlet has clearly moved beyond the idea stage to something that could well happen…and happen with some GOP elite firepower behind it.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.