From Jonathan Martin of Politico:
I'm more than a little skeptical of Thompson actually running, but one well-connected Tennessee Republican said the Senate Watergate Committee counsel turned Law & Order star is giving it a look.(via)
"The Fox News report is accurate, he is still considering it," said the source, alluding to a Carl Cameron report last week that had Thompson "seriously considering" a bid.
My source, who has not gotten behind an '08 candidate, said what was striking was that Thompson had not yet endorsed Sen. John McCain. The former senator got behind his fellow Tennessean, Lamar Alexander, early in both of Lamar's! presidential bids. When Alexander dropped out in 1999 following a weak showing at the Ames straw poll, though, Thompson got on board with McCain's campaign, serving as a national co-chair. The two remain close.
Name identification, of course, would not be a problem as Thompson remains on TV every week and, thanks to ABC and the Paul Harvey Show, is also frequently on the radio. He's also familiar to Republican activists from his working of the chicken dinner circuit for the party in the 90s.
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