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IDP: Fred Thompson to speak before Iowa Christian Alliance
9/28/2007

Contacts: Carrie Giddins/Chris Allen
Phone: 515-244-7292

Hopefully They Won’t Take a Close Look at His Record

Des Moines – Fred Thompson’s presidential campaign is less than a month old and yet he has already managed to alienate the evangelical conservatives he will need to win the Iowa Caucuses. Thompson started his campaign by forgetting that he had lobbied the White House in favor of abortion rights. His campaign continued to falter after Thompson revealed that he rarely attends church and knew nothing about the well-publicized Terri Schiavo case.

Some evangelical leaders have already declared they won’t be supporting his candidacy and when conservatives closely examine Fred Thompson’s record, it won’t be surprising that they will oppose his candidacy.

“Fred Thompson is looking for love in all the wrong places,” said Carrie Giddins, Iowa Democratic Party Communications Director. “Conservatives won’t be excited by a candidate who lobbied for abortion rights, won’t discuss his faith and knows nothing about issues like the Terri Schiavo case. Thompson had his chance to impress Iowa caucus-goers and failed.”

“Evangelicals Turn On Thompson.” [The Politico Headline, 9/26/07]

Thompson Disappointed Conservative Leaders with Campaign Launch. “Many religious conservatives, faced with a Republican primary top tier that lacked a true kindred spirit, initially looked to Thompson as a savior. But the former Tennessee senator has disappointed or just not sufficiently impressed the faith community since his formal campaign launch earlier this month.” [The Politico, 9/26/07]

Thompson Couldn’t Remember Details of Schiavo Case. “Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson gave no opinion Thursday when asked about efforts by President Bush and Congress to keep Terri Schiavo alive, saying he does not remember details of the right-to-die case that stirred national debate.” [Associated Press, 9/13/07]

Thompson Lobbied for Abortion Rights. “Billing records show that former Senator Fred Thompson spent nearly 20 hours working as a lobbyist on behalf of a group seeking to ease restrictive federal rules on abortion counseling in the 1990s, even though he recently said he did not recall doing any work for the organization… His representation of the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, which was trying to overturn the ban on abortion counseling, put him at odds with the anti-abortion movement, which considered the ban a crucial victory.” [New York Times, 7/19/07]

Thompson Uncomfortable Discussing His Faith. “While in the evangelical-heavy upstate region of South Carolina, Thompson said he typically only attends church when he’s back home visiting his mother in Tennessee and that he wasn’t comfortable discussing his faith.” [The Politico, 9/26/07]


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