Hastings Wyman:
Thompson Dominating Endorsements Among
Republican Southerners In Washington
By Hastings Wyman
Founding Editor
Southern Political Report
(8/17/07) In the last four months, the looming
candidacy of former US Sen. Fred Thompson (R-TN) has taken the lion’s
share -- i.e., ten of eleven -- of the new Republican presidential
endorsements by Southern members of Congress. Both US Senators and
all four members of the US House from Thompson’s home state
of Tennessee have endorsed him, including two who had previously
been in Mitt Romney’s camp (US Reps. Marsha Blackburn and
John Duncan), plus others in Florida, Georgia, Texas and both Carolinas.
0nly one other Republican contender has gained
new congressional support in Dixie: Romney lost two Tennesseans
to Thompson, but gained a Texan -- US Rep. Lamar Smith.
While Romney leads with the largest number of Dixie supporters on
Capitol Hill -- 15 -- Thompson is second with 13, overtaking John
McCain with ten Southerners. Once Thompson announces, probably next
month, he may gain more Southern support.
Thompson is the only major GOP contender whose
support is concentrated in the South. Thompson has been endorsed
by 18 members of Congress, 13 of whom are Southerners. Romney, McCain
and Rudy Giuliani all have some Southern endorsements, but the majority
of their congressional backers hail from the rest of the nation.
Thompson’s major gain in endorsements mirrors
his strong showing in polls in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina,
three of the earliest Southern primary states.
In Florida, in a mid-July Rasmussen poll, Giuliani
had 22% followed closely by the unannounced Thompson’s 21%;
McCain and Romney were tied with 13% each. A Mason Dixon survey,
also taken in mid-July, showed Giuliani with 21%, Thompson 18%,
McCain 11%, Romney 7% and Mike Huckabee 5%.
In Georgia, an InsiderAdvantage survey taken in
mid-June showed Thompson with a whopping 36% to Giuliani’s
22%, McCain’s 10%, Romney’s 9% and Huckabee’s
7%.
In South Carolina, a late July survey by the American
Research Group (ARG) showed Giuliani with 28%, with Thompson right
behind him at 27%. McCain had 10%, Romney and Newt Gingrich 7% each.
Thompson has gained steadily since first being
included in the ARG polls, from 10% in April, 13% in May 19% in
June and 27% in July.
Southern Republican members of Congress
who have endorsed a presidential candidate
Romney (28 nationally, including
15 Southerners)
AL: US Reps. Bob Aderholt & Mike Rogers
FL: US Reps. Ginny Brown-Waite & Tom Feeney
GA: US Reps. Phil Gingrey, John Linder & Tom Price
KY: US Reps. Ron Lewis, Hal Rogers & Ed Whitfield
LA: US Reps. Rodney Alexander & Jim McCrery
SC: US Sen. Jim DeMint
TX: US Reps. Mike Conaway & Lamar Smith.
McCain (27 nationally; 10 Southerners)
AL: US Rep. Spencer Bachus
FL: US Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart, Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Ric Keller
& Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
MS: US Sen. Trent Lott, US Rep. Chip Pickering
NC: US Sen. Richard Burr
SC: US Sen. Lindsey Graham
VA: US Sen. John Warner.
Fred Thompson (18; 13 Southerners)
FL: US Reps. Jeff Miller & Adam Putnam
GA: US Rep. Lynn Westmoreland
NC: US Rep. Sue Myrick
SC: US Rep. Gresham Barrett
TN: US Sens. Lamar Alexander & Bob Corker; US Reps. Marsha Blackburn,
David Davis, John Duncan & Zack Wamp
TX: US Rep. Louis Gohmert.
Giuliani (21 nationally; 3 Southerners)
LA: US Sen. David Vitter & US Rep. Charles Boustany
TX: US Rep. Pete Sessions.
Duncan Hunter (6 nationally; 4
Southerners)
AL: US Rep. Terry Everett
FL: US Rep. Bill Young
TX: US Reps. John Culberson & Ralph Hall
Huckabee (2 nationally; 1 Southerner)
AR: US Rep. John Boozman.
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