- Daily Photo: Obama Jokes Around at G-20
- Blackwater gets replaced in Iraq
- Daily Photo: U.S. Marines Look Out for Taliban in Afghanistan
- Hillary Clinton the Tomboy and Her "Ah-Ha" Moment
- Obama Administration Sudan Envoy Headed to Region
- Daily Photo: Potential Flashpoint in Iraq
- Clinton Says New Afghanistan-Pakistan Plan Depends on Diplomacy
- Exclusive: Three Israeli Airstrikes Against Sudan
- Additional 4,000 Troops to Be Ordered to Afghanistan
- Daily Photo: Navy Submarine Trains in the Arctic
- Alarm Over North Korea Missile Prep
- Anti-Terror Stimulus? US Offers Rewards for Top Terrorists
- Daily Photo: Pakistani Women in Refugee Camp
- Condoleezza Rice Appears on "The Tonight Show"
- Diplomat and Aid Group Sound the Alarm on Darfur Camp Situation
- auto industry rescue
- Ballotwatch
- Biden, Joe
- Bush, George W.
- Clinton, Bill
- Clinton, Hillary
- Dodd, Chris
- Edwards, John
- Giuliani, Rudy
- Gravel, Mike
- Huckabee, Mike
- Hunter, Duncan
- Inauguration
- Iraq
- Kucinich, Dennis
- McCain, John
- Obama, Barack
- Palin, Sarah
- Paul, Ron
- Romney, Mitt
- Tancredo, Tom
- Thompson, Fred
- Veepstakes
- Vote 2008: Democrats
- Vote 2008: Republicans
- Washington
- White House
« Previous | Main | Next »
Rival Now Friend, Tommy Thompson Endorses Rudy
Email
ShareOctober 12, 2007 9:19 AM
ABC News' Jan Simmonds and Bret Hovell Report: Once a rival, now a friend. In the early primary state of South Carolina this afternoon, Rudy Giuliani, R-N.Y., picked up the endorsement of former GOP presidential candidate and former Gov. Tommy Thompson, R-Wis.
"I want a candidate who will be able to win the Republican primary, and take on Hillary Clinton and win," Thompson told a roomful of Giuliani supporters in downtown Charleston. "That’s Rudy Giuliani."
Thompson ran for the Republican nomination himself this cycle, dropping out after placing sixth in the Ames, Iowa, straw poll in August.
"I was a presidential candidate. And you probably didn’t even know it," joked Thompson.
While Thompson’s support of Giuliani appears strong now, Thompson, who was also the Health and Human Services secretary during President Bush's first term, did not always see eye to eye with Giuliani while he was a candidate for president.
When asked at ABC News' Republican Debate in August about how Giuliani's pro-life positions would affect the Republican Party if he were elected the nominee, Thompson said he though it would be "a problem," in addition to causing conflict to the Roman Catholic Church.
"I think it's a problem not only for the Roman Catholic Church, but it's a problem with the Constitution and the platform of the Republican Party," Thompson said.
"Every year the Republican Party, both at the state level in Iowa, nationally, are parties that come out very avidly and passionately on being pro-life. And I think any candidate that's pro-choice is going to have a difficulty with the party faithful and those individuals that have come to this district and the state and national meetings and have avowed time and time again that this party, the Republican Party, is a party of pro-life," he said.
Thompson attempted to play down his difference of opinion with Giuliani over abortion, coming down on the side of practical politics.
"Who do I want in the White House to appoint federal judges? Do I want Hillary Clinton, or do I want Rudy Giuliani?" Thompson said Friday.
"Even though I differ on that one issue," Thompson told reporters after the event, "I am very confident, comfortable and confident that I am with Rudy Giuliani and closer to Rudy Giuliani on the other issues than the other candidates."
Thompson, who was also actively sought by other Republican candidates, will likely be used by the campaign to help persuade skeptical conservatives -- especially in Iowa and the Midwest, where voters are not yet convinced of Giuliani's conservative credentials.
Beyond the endorsement, Giuliani said, his campaign will benefit from having Thompson on the team.
"In addition to everything else, I look forward to how you’re going to stimulate our campaign with lots of good ideas," Giuliani told Thompson.
October 12, 2007 in Thompson, Fred | Permalink | User Comments (3)
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
Rat climbing on to new ship heir apparent...disgusting.
Posted by: Sandra Lea | Oct 13, 2007 3:38:51 PM
We in Wisconsin only know too well what Tommy Thompson is all about. Here, we call him Toxic Tommy. It is going to take us years to recover from his environmental policies. Another local story that reached national news was a $50 parking ticket that he got while double-parked on campus during moving day (his daughter was a UW student). Of course he had that "fixed" by the local police. Tommy is just another Republican thug. Please stay in Washington - we don’t want you here.
Posted by: bob | Oct 14, 2007 9:19:05 AM
Bob,
First off, ive lived in wisconsin for 24 years and ive never heard anyone refer to him as "toxic tommy."
Second, why are you bringing up a parking ticket? you dont think the democrats working at the capitol would do the same thing (convince police to drop the fine), but besides that, what a pointless, trivial, and petty story to bring up in the first place.
Third, you should try leaving Madison once in a while. There is a lot that Wisconsin has to offer outside of your liberal bubble (things like "reality" and "rationalality").
Posted by: Don WIlson | Oct 14, 2007 8:36:30 PM
Post a comment
