by Mark Silva
Fred Thompson, the television star and former senator from Tennessee plotting a campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, hasn’t officially entered the race yet but already has shaken up his exploratory campaign staff.
And Thompson has placed in charge of his political operation a seasoned veteran of politics in two states critical to the early primary campaign: Iowa and Florida.
Randy Enwright, a former executive director of both the Florida and Iowa Republican Parties, also has served as Florida regional director for the Republican National Committee in a state where former Gov. Jeb Bush honed a disciplined political operation. The Tallahassee-based Enwright runs his own consulting firm.
Thompson announced today that he will make Spencer Abraham, former energy secretary and ex-senator from Michigan, manager of his campaign – in place of Tom Collamore, former vice president of the tobacco and food conglomerate, Altria, who still will advise the campaign.
Thompson’s “testing the water’’ committee has allowed him to raise money for a campaign which he is expected to formally launch after Labor Day.
“The Friends of Fred Thompson have made a number of changes as they prepare to enter the next phase, adding new experience and political strength to the organization," spokeswoman Linda Rozett told the Associated Press.
Enwright and Abraham, who lost his own bid for reelection in Michigan, both will be in charge of Thompson's campaign, according to Rozett. Enwright will lead the political operation, she said, but Abraham doesn't yet have a title.
Scott Reed, a Republican strategist who ran Bob Dole's campaign for president in 1996, told the AP that Thompson has laid a strong groundwork for a campaign which polling shows has a lot of promise: "Collamore has put a good structure in place. Now the campaign can move to the next level with a formal announcement."
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Comments
Looks like quite a roster of the usual big business and conservative hack subjects he's bringing together for his GOP dream bid. Between him and Abraham, this will be one of the ugliest looking campaigns we've seen in sometime. What a couple of mugs. And I mean, the guy who ran Bob Dole's failed presidentuial campaign 10 years ago is impressed, so the sky must be the limit. This guy is a horrible joke and if the GOP nominates him it will show how truly ridderless and stale they are right now.
Posted by: kb | July 24, 2007 5:40 PM
kb,
Who do you think is behind and operating Obama and Hillary's campaign....
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs?
How 'ridderliss' you are!
Paulo
Posted by: Paulo | July 24, 2007 8:59 PM
Poor 'ol Fred. He's having a lot of trouble getting that little red rented pickumup truck of a campaign going.
1st it was after Independence Day and now it's after Labor Day. It's getting to the point you have to ask - which Labor Day?
Posted by: Doug Zook | July 25, 2007 7:57 AM
The good thing about Fred is that as long as it takes him to make up his mind, if he were president when 9/11 happened, we would just be starting the war with Iraq this year.
Posted by: bill r. | July 25, 2007 8:15 AM
Mark Silva's shaky knowledge of Republican politics is shown by the fact that he spells the name of Thompson's new political director as "Enwright" (paragraph 3) and "Enright" (paragraph 7).
Swamp Editor's note:
Hey Bruce, got news for you.
It's Enwright.
Randy Enwright.
You like to check financial reports and lobbyist directories on people named in stories. Start with Florida's.
Posted by: Bruce | July 25, 2007 10:14 AM
I see the "Swamp" editors quickly changed the spelling in the article after I pointed out their mistake.
The correct spelling of "Enwright" is NOT news to me. Or to the Thompson campaign:
http://citizensforthompson.com/index.php/2007/07/06/veteran-gop-strategist-randy-enwright-joins-fred-thompson-staff/
Swamp Editor's note: The name was spelled correctly the first three times it was mentioned and mistyped the fourth time. Yes, it's been corrected. Bruce, this may formally qualify you as a pill.
Posted by: Bruce | July 25, 2007 10:36 AM
Paulo and Bruce are on top of it, maybe they can get jobs on the Thompson campaign. Best of luck.
Posted by: kb | July 25, 2007 11:06 AM
What else would you expect from a guy who spent 17 years as a lobbyist in DC? Thompson will be nothing more than the Republican status quo if he, God forbid, ever gets elected as president.
Posted by: BC | July 25, 2007 11:58 AM
Fred Thompson doesn't stand a chance of being nominated. Not the slightest. Let the Republicans prop up Giuliani and we will watch him get cut to shreads. Pathetic losers.
Looks like Hillary will be our next President.
Posted by: Doug R. | July 25, 2007 12:37 PM
Fred Thompsom will make Hollywood out of Washington. The fictious Repbublican candidate now have star power and will ensure his party gets an Oscar. Thompson will play George Bush in a new movie called "How the Three Stooges -Bush, Cheney, and Rolve - stole Iraq."
Posted by: Logan | July 25, 2007 2:04 PM
RNC Bruce,
You correcting anyone on grammar, typos or my favorite - the use of quotation marks - makes you a - PILL!
Posted by: Doug Zook | July 25, 2007 4:41 PM