GOP buzz: Thompson should run for governor

[Jackson4Gore]

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050710/COLUMNIST0101/507100379/1092/NEWS

GOP buzz: Thompson should run for governor

Fred Thompson is on TV again, and this time he's not play-acting.

His appointment by President Bush to handle the confirmation process for a new Supreme Court justice led tongues to wag all over town about whether this was a move toward him running for governor. Could Thompson end up being Gov. Phil Bredesen's worst political nightmare come true? Or is this just a case of GOP wishful thinking?

Thompson, speaking through a local contact person, declined to comment. But Tennessee GOP Chairman Bob Davis Jr. confirmed there has been talk about Thompson running for governor.

"We had lunch at Swett's a few weeks ago," Davis said, declining to answer whether he asked Thompson to run for governor.

"Those are the kinds of conversations between myself and others and Senator Thompson I'm not really going to talk about. He's very happy personally where he's at in life. If you're asking if he is the most formidable candidate we could have running, there's no question about it in this state. If Fred Thompson got in that race, it wouldn't be much of a race at all, in my opinion."

Lydia Lenker, spokeswoman for Gov. Bredesen, declined to respond to that, except to say: "The governor feels confident about his re-election. At the same time, he doesn't take anything for granted and will work very hard for the votes of Tennesseans. We're not getting into a name game at this point."

The buzz last week went like this: The president's request puts Thompson back in the political limelight. The former prosecutor's popularity crosses party lines, as Bredesen's does. None of the GOP candidates mentioned so far has that kind of statewide cachet. He could easily match Bredesen's fundraising ability.

Plus, Bredesen is about to experience a hot August as dropped TennCare recipients run out of medicine.

GOP die-hards love the idea. Even state Rep. Beth Harwell, who is considering a run for the governor's office herself, thought it would be dandy.

"Without a doubt, Fred Thompson is a superstar in every sense of the word," Harwell said. "Would some of us like to see him run for office in the state of (Tennessee) again? Absolutely. Do I think he has an interest? I don't think so. But I have not talked to him."

GOP voter and activist Barbara Outhier said Thompson turned down a chance to run for governor last time so "I don't see anything changing that would somehow compel him to run for governor at this point. However, if in his wisdom he decided to do so, I would be elated."

Bob Tuke, chairman of the Tennessee Democratic Party, said the buzz is probably just a bunch of people "all over-analyzing. The president called and asked for his help. What would anyone say?''

Thompson, he said, "is a genuinely nice guy. Everybody likes him. I like him. At this point in his life, he doesn't want to work that hard. All of his friends say that."

The idea that Bush asked for Thompson's help just to build name recognition for a gubernatorial bid "is hard for me to swallow," Tuke said. "Heck, how much more name recognition does he need? He's on Law & Order."

Harwell has her own solution: Put Fred Thompson, who's a lawyer, on the Supreme Court.

"I wish Bush would look at him," she said. "I think he would please a lot of people."

Not the least of which would be a certain fellow working in the State Capitol.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. It would mean NO MORE FDT on L&O

which would be an improvement, imho. But I pity the people of TN.

[Clark2008]

2. I'd rather have Thompson on the Supreme Court than some fundie nut!

We know Bush will pick a Republican, so Thompson (who voted against impeachment for Clinton and isn't much of a social conservative) would be the best we could hope for.

As far as him running for governor: does he even spend time in the state anymore? I figured he was always in New York City or California or Washington DC now. I think Tennesseans, despite the TennCare crap, are pretty satisfied with Bredesen.

[FreedomAngel82]

4. Same here

Last I saw a poll his rating was 52%. I like Bredesen pretty well to elect him. This will be my first time voting for him. Only thing I don't like with him is the TennCare stuff, but I'm willing to give him another chance because he has created jobs and done other good things (like the bill to not have jobs imported over seas). Last year he created 32 million new jobs and about two/three months ago he created 900. I hope we can keep Bredesen.

[Massacure]

3. Bastard! I thought you were talking about Tommy! Don't scare me like that!

:scared:

Edit: Oh, The state forums show up on the Latest??? I didn't realize this was Tennessee!!! :blush: