Finally, a post-debate poll is out in South Carolina, and it shows Fred Thompson surging into a virtual tie for second place with Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney. According to Rasmussen, John McCain leads with 28%, followed by Huck (19%), Mitt (17%) and Fred (16%).
The previous Rasmussen poll, four days ago, had McCain at 27%, Huck at 24%, Mitt at 16% and Fred at 12%. So it looks like Thompson’s frontal assault on Huckabee’s conservative credentials is working: Huck’s down 5 points and Fred’s up 4. Fred-mentum!
Says Fred File: “We are not surprised. South Carolinians know a consistent conservative when they see one. … Fred has the conservative message Republicans crave; he has the ideas to keep America secure and strong; and he has the leadership ability to keep the Reagan coalition together.”
Now Thompson needs McCain to bury Romney tonight in Michigan, thus hopefully turning the Palmetto State into, effectively, a three-man race. You’d have to think a lot of Romney’s support among National Review-ish conservatives would go to Thompson if the king of silver medals drops out (or, more likely, stays in the race but looks like a lost cause). The question then becomes whether a strong second-place finish in South Carolina (behind McCain, well ahead of Huck) would be enough to keep Fred’s campaign going, or whether he needs to go on the attack against McCain, in a “win at all costs” gambit.
GO FRED!
Today I cast my absentee ballot for Thompson. When I talk to others about him, they laugh and tell me he has no chance. (He started too late, he’s lazy, etc. etc. etc.) But we Thompsonites just keep talk for him and voting for him. He will make a good president.
I should add that I am a California voter, and will be in South Carolina at the time of our primary election attending Fr. Mark’s consecration.
Go Fred. Make it to Virginia – please.
bb
I don’t see any reason for Thompson’s campaign to be “over” if he does well in SC although not winning. As we move into closed primaries, presumably the Republican-only voters will be less enamored of McCain than the independents who gave him NH. Thompson is already pointing out McCain’s not-conservative record on many issues.
From another standpoint, I’d love to see Thompson get the nomination. This 18-to-24-month marathon campaign is insane. It would be nice to see someone start late, campaign on a more rational schedule, and win.
Once again, it’s not who comes out on top in how many races, it’s how many delegates does he/she pick up in each primary? The one with the most primary after all have been totalled together gets the nomination (usually). So saying “Mit won 3, Huckabee won 2, so Mit is winning” is not true. If Fred T. wins fewer state contests, but those states have more delegates at stake, then he gets more delegates than someone who wins more states but which have fewer delegates.
confusing? eh-yup.