Tommy Thompson 2008 presidential campaign
Tommy 2008 | |
---|---|
Alexandria, VA | |
Key people | Darrin Schmitz (Director) Rodman Hise (Treasurer) Phil Prange (Finance Director) Brian Dumas (Consultant) Steve Grubbs (Adviser) |
Receipts | US$.890398 (2007-06-30) |
Website | |
http://www.tommy2008.com |
The Tommy Thompson presidential campaign of 2008 began when the former
For his campaign, Thompson focused primarily on the issues of
Background
Tommy Thompson's political career began in 1966 upon his election to the Wisconsin State Assembly after graduating from law school at University of Wisconsin–Madison. While in the assembly, he received the nickname of "Dr. No" for blocking legislation through parliamentary procedure. He was named assistant minority leader of the body in 1973 and became minority leader in 1981. He unsuccessfully ran for United States Congress in 1979, losing in the Republican primary to Tom Petri.
Thompson was elected Governor of Wisconsin in 1986. He was re-elected three times. During his tenure, he successfully pushed for welfare reform through Wisconsin Works, a workfare program. Welfare participation decreased by 90% under the program. Thompson also successfully backed a school voucher program. Near the end of his governorship, Thompson implemented BadgerCare, which provided health coverage for children ineligible for Medicaid. As governor, Thompson vetoed bills frequently and often exercised the line-item veto. None of his vetoes were overturned. Thompson served as chairman of the National Governors Association from 1995 to 1996. He was considered as a potential running mate for Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole in 1996, but was passed over for Jack Kemp. Thompson left as governor during his fourth term in 2001 to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services in the George W. Bush administration.
As Secretary of Health and Human Services, Thompson introduced measures to increase funding for the
Exploration
Beginning in 2006, Thompson spent every weekend in
As his eventual entrance neared, Thompson spent additional time in Iowa and announced that his campaign strategy would focus on the state and its nonbinding straw poll held in August.
In order to be a "viable candidate",
On the campaign trail
Announcement
Thompson officially entered the race on April 1, 2007 following the announcement that he would seek the Republican Party's nomination for president during an interview on
April 2007
Thompson first hit the trails in Iowa. His strategy in the state was to spend more time there than any other candidate, emphasizing that he "intend[ed] to win Iowa" because of his midwest roots.
Thompson was criticized when he stated at a
May 2007
Thompson began May at the first Republican debate at the
A comment he made during the debate became another campaign issue for Thompson. He again apologized for remarks, this time over an answer to a question in which he stated that he believed the decision to fire a
Thompson participated in the May 15 GOP debate, where he discussed his insistence to trim bureaucracy in the
June 2007
After a day of campaigning in Iowa, Thompson returned to New Hampshire to participate in the June 5 GOP Debate. He discussed the issue of illegal immigration, arguing that the border should be secured before passing Comprehensive Immigration Reform. He later commented that once the border was secured, "there should be no amnesty" for illegal immigrants and that the proposed Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 was "an amnesty bill", which he opposed. When asked about the potential candidate of his namesake, Thompson responded by saying "if you’re talking about a reliable conservative, it is THIS Thompson —Tommy Thompson, not the actor (Fred Thompson)." After being questioned about the biggest mistake of the George W. Bush presidency, as a former member of the cabinet Thompson responded:
We went to Washington to change Washington and Washington changed us. We didn’t come up with new ideas. We got to transform health care. We got to wind — we got to wind down the war in Iraq. We got to make sure that we really are conservatives. If we’re going to spend money like — as foolishly and as stupidly as the Democrats, the voters are going to vote for the professional spending, the Democrat not the amateur spender, the Republican.[24]
He later joked that "I would certainly not send him to the United Nations."[25] Following the debate, Thompson continued his criticism of the Bush administration. While campaigning in New Hampshire, he stated that he "would be a much more open president" than Bush. He criticized the handling of the Iraq War as "a terrible mistake" and assessed the president as "very cloistered... [with] very few inner-circle people."[26]
A few days later, Thompson sent out an e-mail alerting the press about a conference call where he would make major announcement about the campaign. Though some speculated that Thompson would drop out of the race during the call, he instead announced his intentions to participate in the Ames Straw Poll.
In late June, the three Republican Representatives from Wisconsin commented on Thompson's campaign. Though Representative Tom Petri identified himself as a supporter and hailed Thompson for doing "a lot for the country and the state and the Republican Party of Wisconsin" he called Thompson "a long shot" and stopped short of endorsing him. Representative Jim Sensenbrenner described Thompson's campaign as "anemic" and Representative Paul Ryan commented that "I think a lot of us are hoping the best for Tommy and are wishing him well but are just sort of watching the field to see how it materializes."[29] Other Republicans wondered if Thompson was running just to "get it out of his system."[29] Strategist Mark Graul argued that the former governor "had a profound impact" on party members in Wisconsin, which had created a familiarity complex that caused people to say "'Oh, come on'" after hearing of his run. Despite the qualms, spokesman Steve Grubbs remarked that Thompson wants "for people to give him a chance...[because] he knows he has a lot to prove, and he is working 90 hours a week to prove it."[29] A Strategic vision poll of Iowa voters placed Thompson in fifth place among the candidates, with only 6 percent support. To improve his standing ahead of the Ames Straw Poll, Thompson planned to escalate his Iowa campaign after July 4 in a swing labeled the "Common Sense Solutions Tour". Communications director Rennick Remley remarked that despite low amounts of capital, Thompson would spend "scads of time in Iowa in July." He compared Thompson's strategy to Jimmy Carter's 1976 "retail politics" strategy that led to victory in the Iowa caucuses.[9]
To close the month, Thompson campaigned in Iowa, and made a brief stop in New Hampshire on June 25.[18] On June 26, he won the Linn County straw poll at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids.[30]
July 2007
In July, Thompson campaigned extensively in Iowa, hoping to gain traction before the Ames Straw poll. As planned, he began his "Common Sense Solutions Tour" after the July 4 holiday, and traveled throughout Iowa in an ethanol-fueled Winnebago.[31] After Mitt Romney embarked on a similar campaign bus tour, Thompson accused Romney of "copying" his idea.[32] Thompson's first stop of the month was scheduled in Ames on the evening of July 6, but he was unable to make the event due to plane malfunction. He instead opened his tour in Webster City on July 7.[33]
During one stop on the first leg of his "Common Sense Solutions Tour", Thompson made a bold promise. He proclaimed that if elected president, his administration would eliminate
After eight straight days of campaigning, Thompson concluded the first leg of his tour on July 14.[33] Like all other Republican presidential candidates except Congressman Tom Tancredo, Thompson chose to skip the July 12 presidential debate sponsored by the NAACP.[36]
On July 15, new financial reports were released that revealed that Thompson had raised $445,000 during the second quarter of 2007 and had $115,000 cash on hand. This showed a slight increase from his first quarter figures, but was still far below his fellow Republican candidates. Among the candidates, he ranked second to last in fundraising, just ahead of Jim Gilmore, who dropped out of the race a day before the financial disclosure.[37] Thompson stated earlier in the month that he was "pleased at the strong growth" in fundraising, and that he was still "able to run a campaign equal to that of the better-funded candidates despite the differences in funding."[38] Additionally, Thompson remained low in nationwide polls, standing at three percent in a July 21 Washington Post-ABC News survey, which actually reflected a two-point increase in support from June.[39]
Thompson addressed the monthly meeting of the
Around this time, Thompson accepted an invitation to CNN's YouTube debate despite assurances from Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney that they would not appear. Romney referenced the Democratic Party's YouTube debate, and commented that "the presidency ought to be held at a higher level than having to answer questions from a snowman."[42] In response, Thompson's spokesman Steve Grubbs remarked: "We'll answer questions from any American who wants to ask one and that includes one dressed up like a snowman...Tommy Thompson is ready to take on all questions".[43]
After spending nearly all of the month campaigning in Iowa, Thompson said at the end of July that if he failed to win or come in second at the state's straw poll, he would drop out of the race. He admitted that the campaign significantly lacked funding and that he was spending large amounts of his own money to stay afloat. He believed that a strong showing could improve his ability to raise funds, and planned to bus supporters to the straw poll and pay the $35 entrance fee for each.[44]
In an interview with WisPolitics.com, Thompson commented that he had more experience than any other candidate in the race, and that only Democrat
August 2007
Thompson continued his strategy in Iowa heading into August, speaking on the trail about how "remarkably well" his campaign had been going. It was revealed that the campaign was running on an $890,000 budget and that no speechwriters or pollsters had been hired.[47] In August, Thompson achieved his goal of having campaigned in all 99 Iowa counties.[47]
He competed in his final debate on August 5 in
Withdrawal
On August 11, 2007, Thompson finished in sixth place at the Ames straw poll with 1,039 votes or about seven percent of the total.[49] Romney won the most votes, but his victory was overshadowed by the surprisingly strong showing of the second place Mike Huckabee. Huckabee considered skipping the straw poll, but decided to participate after a conversation with Thompson earlier in the summer.[50] After the event, Thompson dropped out of the race. Campaign spokesman Brian Dumas commented that he had "worked very hard...[and] did everything we asked of him and more."[49] The next day, Thompson released a statement on his withdrawal:
I felt my record as Governor of Wisconsin and Secretary of Health and Human Services gave me the experience I needed to serve as president, but I respect the decision of the voters. I am leaving the campaign trail today, but I will not leave the challenges of improving health care and welfare in America.[51]
Endorsements
The following people endorsed Tommy Thompson's 2008 presidential campaign:
- Pfizer lobbyist Kristine Coryell[5]
- Bulk Petroleum Owner Darshan Dhaliwal[5]
- Attorney Gerald Doyle[5]
- Richland, Iowa Mayor Tom Hoekstra[52]
- New Orleans Saints running back Aaron Stecker[5]
- Former DHS Chief of Staff A. Scott Whitaker[5]
List of campaign events
Date | Location(s) | Event(s) |
---|---|---|
4-4 | Milwaukee, WI
Manchester, NH |
Speeches, House Party |
4-5 | Manchester, NH | Speech, Meeting |
4-14 | Des Moines, IA Fort Dodge, IA Winterset, IA Indianola, IA |
Fundraiser, Speeches |
4-18 | Bettendorf, IA | Speech |
4-19 | Iowa City, IA | Appearance |
4-25 | Bankston, IA | Town Hall |
4-26 | Elkader, IA | Appearance |
5-3 | Simi Valley, CA | Debate
|
5-4 | Clive, IA Grundy Center, IA Clarksville, IA |
Appearance, Town Hall, Fundraiser |
5-5 | Waukon, IA Cresco, IA Forest City, IA Mason City, IA Charles City, IA |
Town Halls, Appearances |
5-8 | Bedford, NH Manchester, NH |
Meeting, Speech |
5-9 | West Des Moines, IA Anamosa, IA Decorah, IA |
Town Hall, Meetings |
5-10 | Le Mars, IA Sioux City, IA |
Meetings |
5-15 | Columbia, SC | Debate
|
5-16 | Seabrook Beach, NH Concord, NH |
Meeting, Party Event |
6-2 | Alta, IA Spencer, IA |
Appearance, Town Hall |
6-4 | Manchester, NH | Meeting |
6-5 | Manchester, NH | Debate
|
6-6 | Manchester, NH Concord, NH Portsmouth, NH |
Speeches |
6-8 | Clinton, IA Davenport, IA |
Appearance, Fundraiser |
6-10 | Charles City, IA | Party Event |
6-15 | Davenport, IA Clinton, IA |
Appearances |
6-19 | Urbandale, IA Des Moines, IA |
House Party, Speech |
6-23 | Richland, IA Cedar Rapids, IA |
Appearance, Fundraiser |
6-25 | Hanover, NH | Fundraiser |
6-26 | Fort Madison, IA Wapello, IA Muscatine, IA |
Meetings |
6-27 | Iowa City, IA | Appearance |
6-28 | Council Bluffs, IA Des Moines, IA Marshalltown, IA |
Town Hall, Forum, Appearance |
6-30 | Council Bluffs, IA Des Moines, IA Marshalltown, IA |
Town Hall, Forum, Meeting |
7-7 | Webster City, IA Fort Dodge, IA Pocahontas, IA Rockwell City, IA Carroll, IA Jefferson, IA |
Appearances |
7-8 | Boone, IA Iowa Falls, IA |
Appearances |
7-9 | Adel, IA Winterset, IA Pella, IA Sully, IA |
Town Halls, Appearances |
7-10 | Grinnell, IA Marengo, IA Mount Vernon, IA Shellsburg, IA Gladbrook, IA Marshalltown, IA |
Town Halls, Appearances, House Party |
7-11 | Allison, IA Hampton, IA Mason City, IA New Hampton, IA Waterloo, IA Grundy Center, IA |
Appearances, Town Hall, Party Event |
7-12 | Oelwein, IA Independence, IA Dubuque, IA Maquoketa, IA Davenport, IA |
Appearances |
7-13 | Mt. Pleasant, IA
Centerville, IA |
Appearances |
7-14 | Creston, IA Council Bluffs, IA Atlantic, IA Chariton, IA |
Appearances |
7-16 | San Diego, CA
|
Speech |
7-19 | Le Mars, IA | Meeting |
7-20 | Ida Grove, IA Early, IA Cherokee, IA Spencer, IA Okoboji, IA Estherville, IA |
Meetings, Town Hall |
7-21 | Saint Ansgar, IA
Clear Lake, IA |
House Party, Town Hall, Meetings |
7-22 | Strawberry Point, IA Decorah, IA Waukon, IA |
Meetings |
7-28 | Washington, IA Oskaloosa, IA Albia, IA Ottumwa, IA Bloomfield, IA Denmark, IA |
Fundraiser, Party Event, Meetings |
7-29 | Iowa City, IA Cedar Rapids, IA Wilton, IA |
House Party, Meetings |
7-30 | Corning, IA Bedford, IA Clarinda, IA Sidney, IA Red Oak, IA |
Meetings |
7-31 | Onawa, IA Missouri Valley, IA Harlan, IA Audubon, IA Des Moines, IA |
House Party, Meetings |
8-2 | Bettendorf, IA | Meeting |
8-4 | Des Moines, IA | Meeting |
8-5 | Des Moines, IA | Debate
|
8-9 | Ames, IA Des Moines, IA |
Meeting, Forum |
8-10 | Ames, IA Marshalltown, IA Des Moines, IA |
Rally, Fundraiser, Speeches, Forum |
8-11 | Ames, IA Des Moines, IA Ankeny, IA |
Party Event, Forum, Speeches, Appearances |
Aftermath
Two months after his withdrawal, Thompson endorsed Rudy Giuliani for president. He praised the former New York City mayor as someone who "can and will win the nomination and the presidency" and argued that "during a period of time of great stress for this country he showed tremendous leadership" as "America's mayor".[53] After Giuliani's withdrawal in 2008, Thompson backed John McCain,[54] who ultimately won the Republican Party's nomination. During the general election, Thompson told The New York Times that he was not satisfied with McCain's campaign and that "I don’t know who is."[55] McCain lost the election to Democratic Senator Barack Obama.
In 2011, Thompson entered the
References
- ^ "Thompson resigns with grim warning: HHS secretary says terrorist attackon food supply would be 'so easy to do'". MSNBC. December 3, 2004.
- ^ a b Broder, David S. (2007-04-08). "New Scorecard for A Republican Scramble". Washington Post.
- ^ Glover, Mike (2006-11-16). "Ex-Bush Aide to Explore Presidential Run". The Associated Press.
- ^ a b Pitsch, Mark (December 16, 2006). "Thompson fundraising effort starts". Madison.com. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Tommy Thompson". CNN.
- ^ "Wisconsin Briefing". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. January 25, 2007. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
- ^ a b "Washington Post-ABC News Poll". Washington Post. 2007-04-16.
- ^ John F. Kennedy School of Government. Institute of Politics, p. 9
- ^ a b Skiba, Katherine (June 28, 2007). "Thompson to launch Iowa campaign tour". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
- ^ Horrigan, Marie (2007-04-02). "Thompson, Tancredo Make GOP Presidential Bids Official". Congressional Quarterly.
- ^ a b "Tommy Thompson Election Polls Stat Sheet". USA Election Polls.
- ^ Antlfinger, Carrie (2007-04-04). "Thompson Wants Iraqi Vote on U.S. Troops". The Associated Press.
- ^ Glover, Mike (2007-04-19). "Thompson's Iowa Strategy: Move In". The Associated Press.
- ^ Balz, Dan; Chris Cillizza; Jose Antonio Vargas (2007-04-05). "Tommy Thompson Opens GOP Bid". The Washington Post.
- ^ Wolf, Z. Byron (2007-04-09). "The Who's Tommy? Long Shot White House Contenders Tommy Thompson and Tom Tancredo Favor Deep Convictions Over Deep Pockets". ABC News.
- ^ "Thompson apologizes for Jewish comments: Candidate says he meant to compliment success of Jewish businesses". Associated Press. 2007-04-17.
- ^ Will, George F. (2007-04-22). "Tommy Thompson's Gamble". Washington Post (op-ed).
- ^ a b c d e "Tommy Thompson Campaign Events, By State". Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 15, 2008. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Transcript: The Republicans' First Presidential Candidates Debate". The New York Times. 2007-05-03.
- ^ a b "Republican Presidential Candidate Tommy Thompson Explains Gay Rights Remark". Associated Press. 2007-05-13.
- ^ John F. Kennedy School of Government. Institute of Politics, p. 10
- ^ Stacy Forster (2007-05-12). "Thompson confident GOP nomination is within reach". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- ^ "Transcript: Republican Presidential Debate in South Carolina". The New York Times. 2007-05-15.
- ^ "Third G.O.P. Debate". New York Times. 2007-06-05.
- ^ Johnson, Glen (June 5, 2011). "GOP presidential hopefuls fault Bush in debate". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
- ^ Craig Gilbert (2007-06-08). "Thompson's portrait of Bush doesn't miss the warts". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- ^ Cillizza, Chris (June 13, 2007). "Thompson (Tommy) Stays In". The Washington Post. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
- ^ Frederic J. Frommer (2007-06-14). "Tommy Thompson going ahead with Iowa straw poll strategy". Janesville Gazette.
- ^ a b c Craig Gilbert (2007-06-23). "Thompson keeps race at slow pace". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- ^ Street, Connie (June 27, 2007). "Recent straw poll winner Thompson visits Wapello". Muscatine Journal. Muscatine, Iowa. Retrieved 29 May 2010.
- ^ "Thompson Raises Less Than $1 Million For Presidential Bid". Channel 3000. July 17, 2007. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
- ^ "GOP candidate: Romney is "copying me"". CNN. July 22, 2007. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
- ^ a b c "Former Gov. Tommy Thompson: Iowa Visits". George Washington University. August 31, 2007. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
- ^ "Tommy Thompson: Thompson Pledges End to Breast Cancer During His Presidency". All American Patriots. 2007-07-12.
- ^ Miller, David L. (July 11, 2007). "Pure Horserace: Rudy's Two-Alarm Fire?". CBS News. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
- Fox News Channel. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
- ^ "Dems Trounce GOP In Campaign Cash". U.S. News & World Report. July 16, 2007. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
- ^ "Thompson's funds increase". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. July 4, 2007. Retrieved 4 September 2011.
- ^ "Washington Post-ABC News Poll". The Washington Post. July 23, 2007. Archived from the original on July 4, 2008. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
- ^ Wise, David (July 28, 2007). "Thompson says he'd likely tap Powell, Forbes for cabinet". WisPolitics.com. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
- ^ Wise, David (July 28, 2007). "Thompson refutes Tancredo charge at GOP fundraiser". WisPolitics.com. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
- ^ "Romney, Giuliani to skip debate". Ocala Star-Banner. July 29, 2007. Retrieved 4 September 2011.
- ^ "Tommy Thompson willing to participate in CNN/YouTube debate". George Washington University. July 27, 2007. Retrieved 4 September 2011.
- ^ Tony Leys (2007-07-30). "Tommy Thompson bets it all on straw poll". USA Today.
- ^ "Tommy in Iowa: Going for Broke". WisPolitics.com. July 30, 2007. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
- ^ Montanaro, Domenico (July 25, 2007). "'Shocked' if he doesn't win Ames". NBC News. Archived from the original on January 14, 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
- ^ a b Greg J. Borowski (2007-08-04). "One county at a time for Thompson". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- ^ "The Republicans Candidate Debate". New York Times. 2007-08-05.
- ^ a b "Tommy Thompson Quitting Run for the White House". Fox News. 2007-08-12.
- ^ Huckabee, p. 99
- ^ "Tommy Thompson drops presidential bid". USA Today. August 13, 2007. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
- ^ "Tommy Thompson-Iowa Organization". George Washington University. August 22, 2007. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
- ^ "Tommy Thompson to endorse Giuliani". USA Today. October 12, 2007. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
- ^ "Governor Tommy Thompson Endorses John McCain". All American Patriots. February 7, 2008. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
- ^ Nagourney, Adam; Elisabeth Bumiller; Michael M. Grynbaum; Jim Rutenberg (12 October 2008). "Republicans Voicing Concern After Rough Week for McCain". The New York Times. p. 1. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
- ^ Nocera, Kate (November 7, 2012). "Tammy Baldwin tops Tommy Thompson in Wisconsin". Politico. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
Bibliography
- John F. Kennedy School of Government. Institute of Politics (2009-07-28). Campaign for president: the managers look at 2008. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-7425-7047-4.
- Huckabee, Mike (2008-11-18). Do the right thing: inside the movement that's bringing common sense back to America. Penguin. ISBN 978-1-59523-054-6.
External links