FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - As the Republican race for the White House tightens, front-runners John McCain and Mitt Romney are looking for a boost from an unlikely ally — former rival Fred Thompson.Romney, the multimillionaire former Massachusetts governor, announced on Thursday his campaign had hired 10 staffers from “Lawyers for Fred Thompson,” a support group that had rallied behind the former Tennessee senator and Hollywood actor.
That came a day after Romney picked up the endorsement of a high-profile Thompson backer, Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran.
Not to be outdone, McCain said on Thursday that Thompson’s former national fundraising chairman, Scooter Clippard, had signed up to McCain’s “Straight Talk Express” as a national finance co-chair.
“Fred made an invaluable contribution to this race and always enriched the discussion of ideas for America’s future,” McCain said in a statement.
The skirmish for supporters follows Thompson’s announcement on Tuesday that he had dropped out of the Republican race after finishing third in South Carolina’s primary on Saturday — behind McCain and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
Romney, a former venture capitalist, is presenting himself as the most conservative of the bunch in hope of rallying the social, economic and security wings of the Republican Party, whose establishment has clashed with the maverick McCain.
On the campaign trail, he has begun to praise Thompson, saying among other things he will miss his humor at debates. “He is a delightful character,” he said in Tampa on Wednesday.
Later he added, “in some respects his departure from the campaign inures to my benefit. I think some of those people who are really concentrated on all three branches of conservatism will support my campaign.”
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- Photo credit: Reuters/Carlos Barria
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12 comments so far
Go Mitt! Save our economy!! We need someone with real experience running this country.
- Posted by John S.We need a Republican candidate who will win against the democrats who want to tax and spend us into oblivion.
- Posted by NormaOur best candidate on the economy is Mitt Romney. He knows how to create and hold jobs. Without a strong economy, nothing else works! Romney has turned failing businesses into productive, profitable ones. Romney has real world experience with the global economy. He has used his knowledge gained as a Harvard business school and law school graduate to solve problems in private business, the Olympics and as a governor. Many consider Romney to be a economic genius.
Romney will absolutely support and defend our constitution. He supports states rights and individual rights. Romney believes in freedom. He will work for equal justice for every citizen and every state. He cares about those voters and states that other candidates have snubbed.
Romney is a man of integrity who has lived socially conservative values his entire life. He is free from the pay-back politics that always happen when a person has served many years in the senate. He will bring new vision, energy, and efficiency to office.
Romney asks the right questions, listens and learns, analyzes and evaluates carefully, and leads decisively. Romney is a TRUE Republican who is committed to the long-term strength of our nation. The more closely I examine Romney, the more I like him. Romney has my vote!
I like both Romney and McCain as candidates, but I support Mitt Romney. I’ve sat in councils in my life and I know that most people could make up bills and vote like McCain has done. That’s not too impressive, nor does it prove a man or give him superior experience.
Mitt, on the other hand, knows how to lead! Take a look at his work on the Olympics. He’s turned more disasters into successes than anyone in the field. That’s influence and that’s leadership. Go Mitt!
- Posted by DJ HumphreysI’m Mormon and I was stationed for a brief period at Cecil Field Naval Air Station in Flordia. The people down there treated me so bad for being Mormon, I almost couldn’t bear it. They’d tell me I was a devil worshipper and brainwashed, and try to convince me that they knew more about what I believed than I did. The wife of one guy I worked with wouldn’t let me in their house for dinner on the 4th of July after he invited me over because she said I wasn’t Christian, so I went and watched a move alone. It hurts to be a victim of discrimination — and I bet Romney knows the feeling. I hope God forgives them, because it’s hard for me to do it. It’s these same “Christians” that killed my ancestors and ran them out of Illinois.
- Posted by Steven RinehartI am even more impressed than ever with Mitt after watching the debates last night. His strength isn’t just in the economy, Mitt showed his strength on all of the issues. He has the support of the conservative base of the party now that Fred has left the contest, and will easily beat John McCain in the Florida primary!
- Posted by WendiR8Go Mitt/Thompson for president/vp!!!
I don’t believe Romney is electable. The dems will kill him on his flip-flops (abortion, gun control, gay rights). They’re also going to jump on the fact that his father was born in Mexico, hired illegal personnel for his mansion, had several sanctuary cities in Massachusetts, etc. Plus he has no foreign policy experience whatsoever. Poll after poll shows that he’d get killed against any of the democrats running. I don’t see a New Englander winning the south against Obama or even the Clintons. Our best hope is McCain, who can actually pull in independents and will have a serious standing against the democrats on National Security. Even though not everyone agrees with him he has proven integrity and the dems would have nothing on him.
- Posted by JoeAll three are good candidates. I am not a republican, but in this election after watching the democratic candidates v. the republicans, I can see how some would be tempted. Can the democrats not have someone somewhere who is intelligent, likeable, and has some experience with which to lead a country? Anywhere?
Incidentally, if you are going for pure electability, I think Rudy would have the best chance if he could make it out of the convention. He draws from many of the independants and has a chance of taking New York, a democratic stronghold. Any republican who can win New York would be very difficult for a democrat to beat. That aside, I think McCain, Giuliani and Romney are all electable in a national election. That, I think is the big reason they have survived to this point. I am impressed by Romney’s intelligence, I think that anytime you have a difficult situation, you throw your smartest, most experienced person at it. In this case, I would throw Romney. I think he is the most likely to bring about the most good for the economy, and the people of our country. That said, I really don’t think we can go wrong with McCain, Giuliani or Romney.
Now, if we could get the democrats to throw us a new set of candidates…
- Posted by JulianSteven Rinehart, I have read your same whiny post on several blogs now. Also being a Mormon, the only thing I can tell you is to get over it. There are good people everywhere and there are a few ignorant around too. Including Mormons. There are fanatical, bigoted in every religion.
- Posted by J ScottAnd blaming present day people for what their ancestors is stupid. I sure as heck don’t want to be blamed for what my ancestors did.
You really need to get a life.
The Clintons will complete the cannibalization of Sen. Obama, and then they will have the volatile John McCain for dessert, if that’s what the Republicans serve up. McCain will succumb to them quite easily, I predict, because of his sympatheties and vulnerabilities. But it will take a different set of tools than they have in their box to destroy a conservative with a great record and a great mind, a steady hand, and a good heart–Mitt Romney. They’ll pull out their worst–much like is happening already in SC–because they want this election in the worst way. But Mitt Romney has the strength and character and intelligence to bring the differences into bold relief, and Americans being the good people they are, will readily see this and make the better choice. Mitt Romney for America!
- Posted by CynthiaShey!
- Posted by samhere comes huckabee!!!
GO MIKE!!!!!
I would never vote for Mr. McCain because he is a flip flopper. Consider that he equivocates on two of the most important issues of our time: (1) immigration, and (2) taxes. He attempts to label Mr. Romney as such, but in reality, it is precisely the opposite.
- Posted by DavidI have no problem saying tha Mitt Romney continues to lie and change position on the issues.
We as a Nation, deserve a President that is honest and for the people. Like Abe Lincoln was.
It is up to us to choose the person we want for president. We all kow that media bias is controlling who people vote for. And some of the mainstream media is getting paid very well for what hey report.
http://www.catholic.org put a great article that supports Mike Huckabee and talks about the un fairness that is happening in this race. The article is called “Let Huckabee speak” It is front page! Please go and read it. Not only are Protestants and Evangelicals supporting Mike, so are Catholics. As well as people who live with morals an values, common Americans are choosing Mike Huckabee. Please look carefuly at the candidates.
Dan Campbell
- Posted by Dan CampbellSgt. USMC