The longest tease in modern American political history came to an end yesterday when Fred Thompson, the actor and former senator, announced that he was a candidate for the Republican party’s nomination in next year’s presidential election.

A couple of hundred Iowa voters brushed shoulders with almost as many national and international reporters and media heavyweights at the Polk County Convention Center in Des Moines as Mr Thompson began his long-awaited campaign.

After a former Miss Iowa, resplendent in Republican red, sang Star Spangled Banner, the expectant crowd watched a brief film of highlights from Mr Thompson’s political career. It was titled The Hunt for Red November, a not so subtle reminder of Mr Thompson’s former career, the movies, and the objective of his new one — next November’s presidential election.

Shortly afterwards, the former Tennessee senator ambled onstage and in his trademark southern drawl, made his pitch, based as much on his own personality as his policies. “My story is an American story,” he said, a journey from “modest means” to great personal success. His message, he said, would be a return to “core conservative principles.

Expert View

We should never underestimate the power of personality (who would you rather spend an evening with, Fred, or Hillary?)

Gerard Baker

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The inaugural event in Iowa, where the first votes in the presidential contest will be cast early next year, capped a carefully choreographed launch that mixed Hollywood glitz and political chicanery, and combined media appearances and good old fashioned, shoe leather campaigning in the heartland.

Seconds after midnight, east coast time yesterday, Mr Thompson announced his candidacy on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno in Burbank, California. At the same time his website posted a 15-minute video under the campaign slogan, “Security, Unity, Prosperity”. A few hours earlier, Mr Thompson had deftly upstaged the other eight declared Republican candidates by running his first television advertisement on Fox News, minutes before the TV network broadcast their latest public debate in Durham , New Hampshire.

Opinion polls suggest that even before he entered the race Mr Thompson was running close behind the leading candidates in the Republican field, Rudolph Giuliani, the former Mayor of New York, and Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor. But in many ways the challenges for Mr Thompson are only just beginning. So far none of the candidates in the field has electrified a somewhat demoralised Republican party, weighed down by an unpopular president, proliferating scandals and the loss last year of control of congress to a resurgent Democratic party.

Many Republicans seem to have turned to Mr Thompson more in hope that his movie charm and southern provenance (he was a senator from Tennessee for eight years) will revive them rather than in firm expectation that he offers the best political choice on offer.

Now that he is in the race he can be expected to endure much closer scrutiny of his political record, which may disappoint some conservatives, as well as his multi-faceted career which included lucrative stints as a Washington lobbyist. His pre-campaign for the last three months has been troubled by fundraising problems.

His decision to leave his launch so late — at least six months after the other candidates, may also give him a higher mountain to climb.

The other candidates seemed to relish the prospect of taking on Mr Thompson. They had much fun at his expense because he chose not to take part in the debate on Wednesday night, a decision that may not go down well with the famously ornery voters of New Hampshire, site of the first primary election.

John McCain, the Arizona senator, alluding to a common criticism that Mr Thompson lacks the energy and commitment to hard work to be a successful presidential candidate, offered an explanation for his no-show at the debate: “Perhaps we’re up past his bedtime, “ he said.

Mr McCain had a rare good night. The Arizona senator has flagged badly in recent months. But he scored points over Mr Romney and Mr Giuliani and continued to offer the most persuasive case for the War in Iraq.

How they stand

September 6 polls. Likely Republican primary voters in per cent

24 Giuliani
22 Thompson
14 Romney
14 McCain
26 Others & undecided

Source: Rasmussen Reports

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