Tommy (the WI gov) quits `08 GOP race. Who'll quit next?

John McCain

4 (18.2%)

Tom Tancredo

1 (4.5%)

Duncan Hunter

11 (50%)

Fred Thompson  (officially decides not to enter)

1 (4.5%)

Newt Gingrich  (officially decides not to enter)

2 (9.1%)

Chuck Hagel  (officially decides not to enter)

0 (0%)

Sam Brownback  (added late)

3 (13.6%)

Total Members Voted: 11

[AlexLibman]

From FoxNews.com -- GOP hopeful Tommy Thompson abandons presidential bid --

MILWAUKEE —  Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, the longshot who had pinned his 2008 presidential hopes on a top-two showing in the Iowa Republican Party Straw Poll, has decided to end his candidacy, FOX News has learned.

"I'm outta the race," Thompson told MyFoxMilwaukee.com.

Thompson, 65, said he felt like he'd been hit by a Mack truck after hearing the news of his 6th place finish at Saturday's Iowa Republican Party Straw Poll, adding that his campaign was shocked after hearing the results. They were hoping for a top two finish.

While Thompson isn't endorsing any Republican candidate for president yet, he said he's been approached by some of them.

Thompson was facing an uphill battle from the outset, lagging well behind the leading Republican presidential candidates in fundraising.

He raised $473,000 from April to June, while GOP rivals Romney and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani each raised more than $10 million during the same period.

Thompson spokesman Brian Dumas said the governor would make a formal announcement about his campaign within the next two days.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won an expected victory with 4,516 votes, or 31.5 percent. He outpaced former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who had 2,587 votes (18.1 percent), and Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback, who finished third with 2,192 votes (15.3 percent).

Thompson had 1,039 votes, or about 7 percent.

In the months leading up to the high-profile straw poll in Ames, Iowa, Thompson repeatedly said he would end his White House bid unless he finished in first or second place. He hoped a strong showing would help build critical momentum for his campaign and galvanize his fundraising.

"We were obviously disappointed," Dumas said of the 6th-place finish. "I think the governor worked very hard, going to all 99 counties. He did everything we asked of him and more."

Candidates consider the straw poll a vital chance to demonstrate support that could help them this winter when Iowans hold precinct caucuses, an event that leads off the presidential nominating process.

Thompson's campaign may have been hurt by a pair of comments he made earlier this year. In April he told a Jewish group that earning money is "part of the Jewish tradition," a remark for which he later apologized.

At a Republican debate the following month, he said an employer should be allowed to fire someone for being gay. Thompson, who has lost hearing in one ear, later claimed he misheard the question because the hearing-aid battery for his other ear had gone dead.

Thompson was Wisconsin's longest-serving governor. He won an unprecedented four terms before resigning when President Bush appointed him Secretary of Health and Human Services in 2001.

[DIGG]

Now that he's out of the race, I can say that I always found Tommy Thompson the #2 most enticing Republican candidate after Ron Paul.  He was a very good governor of a big potential swing state, he reformed the welfare programs and vetoed spending, he had both executive and Washington experience, was very straightforward, and fairly pro-business.  His answer of "make the Iraqis vote if they want us there" was very common-sense.  I never understood why he wasn't a front-runner - I guess the GOP also has tight standards of political correctness...

I'm concerned that this is the que for the other Thompson to jump in the race.

I'm also wondering if they'll now be saying, "Paul only got 266 more votes than Tommy, he should quit too", especially if Hunter quits...

[One two three]

I never understood why he wasn't a front-runner - I guess the GOP also has tight standards of political correctness...

Among other things, he is very fat and that is just not gonna help someone running for a major office.  For some reason, the public thinks that if someone cannot take care of their own life, how can they take care of the entire nation.

[NHArticleTen]

I just sent an email to them about not even mentioning Ron Paul's name in the article...

God Damn these fuckers piss me off!

[wtfk]

Seems to be a close race between Hunter, Tancredo and McCain.  I voted Hunter, but I was probably wrong.  Tancredo's fresh out of cash, and no one can say where he'll get any more.

[AlexLibman]

A related story on FreeMarketNews.com -- Tommy Thompson's Brother Said to Endorse Ron Paul --

Tommy Thompson - former governor of Wisconsin - just dropped out of the GOP presidential campaign, and now his big brother Ed Thompson is said to have endorsed GOP candidate Ron Paul (R-Tex).

Wikipedia had this to say about Ed Thompson:

Ed Thompson (born December 25, 1944 in Elroy, Wisconsin) was the United States Libertarian Party candidate for Governor of Wisconsin in 2002 . He received 11% of the vote. He was elected mayor of Tomah, Wisconsin in April, 2000 with 58% of the vote. His older brother, Tommy Thompson, was previously Governor of Wisconsin and United States Secretary of Health and Human Services.

"Ed’s endorsement will certainly help them in Wisconsin,” said one source close to the campaign. “He's very well known there, along with his brother, and has great name recognition. The announcement may come as soon as today." The Ron Paul campaign is also expecting some other significant endorsements in the near future, according to this source.

In addition to upcoming endorsements, the Ron Paul campaign is expecting good news from some upcoming straw polls. August is turning out to be a month of straw polling for the GOP presidential race, with polls taking place in Indiana, Illinois, Texas and Alabama among other states. Ron Paul has recently won some local straw polls, including one in Georgia.

Sources close to the campaign say that Ron Paul can expect to do well in Illinois, Alabama and perhaps Texas. Any state or region where the GOP is not charging a great deal for the opportunity to vote, or where the voting is not set up to "advantage the old guard," Ron Paul is said to have a good chance of winning or placing fairly high.

As regards the recent straw poll in Iowa, Ron Paul's fifth place finish was not only a victory, given how poorly the national polls continue to rank him, it was also a blow to the front runner Mitt Romney. GOP campaign sources say that while Romney admits to spending over $2 million in Iowa, the amount may have been even higher, especially when one adds in his media purchases – radio and television spots that ran continuously for the past month.

"He had maybe 500 employees working his tent alone on Saturday," says one Iowa Straw Poll attendee. "And the scuttlebutt was that he purchased close to 10,000 tickets but only received 4,500 or so votes. That's not a resounding show of support." Ron Paul, on the other hand, is said to have spent only about $250,000 in Iowa, or less than 10 percent of Romney.

[PLEASE DIGG]

[AlexLibman]

Sam Brownback added to the poll late, after he did worse in Illinois than in Iowa.  I doubt Huckabee or any of the MSM-favored "front-runners" (Rudy & Romney) are likely to drop out.  Let me know if you disagree, or if I forgot someone...