Tommy Thompson Leaves GOP Presidential Campaign After Poor Straw Poll 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
August 11, 2007
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Republican presidential candidate Tommy Thompson is the latest contender to announce he is no longer seeking the GOP nod for the presidency. Thompson is the latest casualty of the Iowa straw poll, which has historically weeded out also-ran candidates and given victors a boost towards the caucuses.
Before the non-binding vote, Thompson, a former Wisconsin governor and Bush administration official, said he would leave the race if he did not win or place second.
"I have no regrets about running," Thompson said in a statement Sunday evening. "I respect the decision of the voters. I am leaving the campaign trail today."
Thompson said on his campaign’s web site before the vote that "Regardless of the outcome on August 11th, at least it will never be said that I was afraid to put my campaign’s organization up against the rest."
"There’s no doubt the stakes are high: eight years ago, four candidates dropped out as a result of the summer straw poll," he added. "And with all of the candidates investing heavily in Iowa, candidates who finish in the bottom half of the straw poll should withdraw from the race and support the rest of the field."
Thompson has drawn support from the pro-life community over the years for his strong stance opposing abortion and in favor of abstinence education, but he’s received criticism for supporting taxpayer funding of embryonic stem cell research.
