Fred Thompson, who was once expected to announce his presidential candidacy on the Fourth of July, has decided not to rush into the contest, since he is already passing rivals as a noncandidate.
The former Tennessee senator is outpolling Republican rival John McCain, whose cash-strapped presidential campaign fired some staffers Monday and asked others to work for free. As a noncandidate, Thompson doesn’t have to worry about the mechanics of running a campaign.
But Thompson’s success has not gone unnoticed by rival campaigns or the media, both of which have turned up the heat on the TV and film actor in recent weeks.
During the weekend, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said Thompson “doesn’t have a lot of experience.” And The New York Times ran a front-page story scrutinizing Thompson’s grown sons, who are lobbyists.
“I think a lot of it is just fear,” Thompson spokesman Mark Corallo said. “Our Republican rivals don’t know what to make of this movement.
“It is very hard for somebody who has been running for, in some cases, well over two years to turn around and look in their rearview mirror and see a guy blowing by you who wasn’t even thinking about it six months ago, who hadn’t raised a nickel up until June 4th, and yet who’s having all of this unbelievable success without too much effort.”
Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, said it was understandable that Thompson was vexing declared GOP candidates like McCain, Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani.
“They are out in the country, working hard daily, slugging it out, spending their money, while Fred Thompson just floats above the political battlefield, defying gravity and looking Reaganesque,” he said. “Naturally, their campaign operatives are feeding stories about Thompson to the press, and other journalists are digging on their own.
“Sooner or later, the same rules apply to everyone,” he added. “Thompson also needs to remember one of the oldest rules of politics: You neverlook so good as the day you announce. It is usually downhill from there.”
Perhaps mindful of that pattern, Thompson remains coy about when he will announce his candidacy. As for the earlier reports of a Fourth of July announcement, campaign aides said that was an unfounded rumor that didn’t come from them.
