Thompson Depends on Home-State Volunteers
By Andy Sher, Chattanooga Times/Free Press, Tenn.
Sep. 7–NASHVILLE — Tennessee supporters of Republican presidential hopeful Fred Thompson manned phone banks on Thursday, alerting Iowa and New Hampshire voters about the newly announced candidate’s appearances in their states.
Thompson campaign officials said the volunteer efforts of Mr. Thompson’s fellow Tennesseans are representative of the help the candidate is relying on.
“He’s very pleased with the strong base of support from his home state,” said Jeff Sadosky, a Thompson spokesman. “Even from today as the announcement kicked off, there were people in the Nashville area and southern Middle Tennessee making phone calls into Iowa and New Hampshire, letting them know about events.”
After months of conducting an exploratory campaign, Mr. Thompson officially declared his candidacy Wednesday night on NBC’s “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and began a five-day tour of early-contest states.
Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Robin Smith said Tennesseans are excited and relieved that the announcement is out of the way. It provides supporters an opportunity “to don their Fred shirts and hats and buttons … and all of the things that grass-roots activists thrive on,” she said.
Tennessee officeholders are helping Mr. Thompson, 65, in fundraising, outreach efforts to officials in other states and speaking on the candidate’s behalf in early contest states such as South Carolina.
Tennessee Democratic Party spokesman Wade Munday said he thinks state Republicans are relying on the electoral “coattails of Fred Thompson, who may be a good actor but didn’t pass any meaningful legislation in the Senate.”
“I think the more excited they get the more it will prove if Fred Thompson doesn’t win the nomination that they’re completely dissatisfied with any of the other possibilities,” he said.
U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., who was involved in the effort to get Mr. Thompson into the race, said he is a co-leader of a group of House Republicans backing Mr. Thompson in the nine-candidate race. He said he has been talking to national news organizations on Mr. Thompson’s behalf.
“It’s anything and everything that I’m asked to do as long as it can fit into my legislative schedule and my family schedule,” Rep. Wamp said.
Rep. Wamp said Mr. Thompson “has got to get off to a good start because expectations are probably higher than they normally would be when you enter the race around Labor Day.”
“We’ve got to go out there and execute, and he’s got to work incredibly hard over the next four months to make his case,” Rep. Wamp said. “If he does so, I think he will be our nominee.”
Tennessee Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, said he is working to secure support for Mr. Thompson from legislative colleagues and other officials in states outside Tennessee. He said he recently promoted Mr. Thompson with West Virginia Republicans.
“I’m to go to South Carolina and then to Wyoming in October” as a surrogate speaker, Lt. Gov. Ramsey said.
U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., has been involved in some Thompson fundraising events, serving on host committees, said the senator’s chief of staff, Todd Womack.
“Senator Corker and Senator Thompson have had a number of conversations and certainly Senator Thompson knows we stand ready to help in any way that they need,” Mr. Womack said.
He said they have discussed speaking on behalf of Mr. Thompson.
Lee Pitts, a spokesman for U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., who twice ran president, said Sen. Alexander will help Mr. Thompson in any way he can.
E-mail Andy Sher at asher@timesfreepress.com
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