Friday, November 17, 2006

Ex-Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson has decided to launch an exploratory committee early next year to explore a possible 2008 White House bid. Thompson is one of three large Republican candidates to form exploratory committees in the past week. Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) and Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani both have formed committees; Giuliani’s has already begun work and McCain’s will begin work after the Christmas holiday.

“I will be forming an exploratory committee for president after the first of the year, and then I will be spending time in Iowa and other states across the country,” Thompson said in an interview. Thompson went on to say that his experience as a former Wisconsin governor and as health secretary during President George W. Bush’s first presidential term would be valuable assets in what is becoming more crowded and is expected to be quite competitive.

Other potential Republican candidates include Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Senators Bill Frist of Tennessee and Sam Brownback of Kansas, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. California Representative Duncan Hunter already began his run last month.