Republican Presidential Polls Show Fred Thompson Solid Pre-Announcement 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
July 4, 2007
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — The Republican presidential race is getting ready for a shake-up that could come any day now with an announcement by former Tennessee senator Fred Thompson that he’s running. Two new polls show that a Thompson candidacy would have solid support.
A new Rasmussen Reports poll shows that, after weeks of turmoil leading to Thompson’s likely announcement, the race has stabilized with the pro-life attorney and actor in the lead.
Thompson has 27 percent to 24 percent for pro-abortion ex-New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney pulls in 13 percent while Arizona Sen. John McCain has 12 percent.
A June 26 poll had the split among the top four at 27/23/12/11 respectively. Two previous polls earlier in June both had Thompson and Giuliani first and second and Romney and McCain third and fourth and behind the two leaders by 13 percent or more.
Meanwhile, a new poll by Opinion Dynamics released by Fox News finds Giuliani ahead with 29 percent and Arizona senator John McCain is second with 17 percent. The survey shows Thompson with 15 percent and Mitt Romney with eight percent.
Giuliani has risen seven points in the Fox News poll since June, although other surveys have shown the oppose with Thompson’s recent gains.
In the Fox News poll, McCain went up two percent as did Thompson and Romney dropped two points, which also runs counter to most other surveys.
Unlike the Rasmussen poll, Fox News includes New Gingrich, the former House speaker who has not said whether he will run for president.
Both polls show former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, former Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson, Kansas senator Sam Brownback, California congressman Duncan Hunter and Colorado congressman Tom Tancredo further down in the polls.
In the Rasmussen survey, Huckabee is atop the second tier at 3% and the six other candidates, including Texas congressman Ron Paul and former Governor Jim Gilmore, split 4% of the vote. Eighteen percent (18%) are not sure.
Romney has not been able to gain traction in national polling, but he is on top in New Hampshire. The first Rasmussen Reports poll in that state finds the former Massachusetts Governor with a nine-point lead in his neighboring state.
Surveys in Iowa show Romney doing well, too, and surveys in South Carolina have Romney and Thompson polling the best.
Rasmussen says its polling data is showing the campaign of John McCain "in serious trouble."
"The man once considered the dominant front-runner had struggled for months," it said in its survey analysis. "His poll numbers are now closer to Huckabee and Brownback rather than Thompson and Giuliani. Media reports say the Arizona Senator is running very low on cash and has dramatically reduced his campaign staff."
Senator Hillary Clinton is the front-runner for the Democratic Presidential nomination. She leads both the national and New Hampshire polls, according to Rasmussen. However, pro-abortion Illinois Sen. Barack Obama has a fundraising edge.
