Thompson gets state push but comes up short on goal

Fred Thompson’s once high-flying presidential bid may be slumping a bit nowadays, but that’s not due to a lack of enthusiasm in his home state.

Tuesday, the former senator’s “testing the waters” committee reported raising $3.4 million for his probable presidential candidacy, which is below the $5 million goal Thompson’s camp had set.

Of that $3.4 million, however, at least $1.4 million came from Tennesseans, about 41 percent of Thompson’s contributions.

John Vile, a professor of political science at Middle Tennessee State University, said Thompson’s home state fundraising numbers are not surprising, but failing to reach the $5 million goal shows the possible candidate may have reached a “plateau” until he takes the plunge into the race.

“Well maybe it indicates that there’s not as much support as he thought he was going to get,” Vile said. “On the other hand, the one problem he has with this current strategy is people don’t like to give unless they are fairly certain it is going to result in something.”

Scooter Clippard, a longtime Republican activist and fundraiser in Nashville, was a member of The Founders’ Committee that set out to raise the funds for Thompson. It began June 4.

The Founders’ Committee, which numbered about 100 activists from around the country, was charged with raising $46,000 each.

Clippard said he was “pretty ecstatic” about Thompson’s $3.4 million since it only encompassed the month of June and said it was the easiest money he ever raised.

“I made 37 phone calls and I got 37 yeses,” Clippard said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

When and if Thompson gets into the race though, he’ll face leading Republican candidates with millions more than he has. For example, as of June 30, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney had more than $12 million in the bank.

Bruce Oppenheimer, a political science professor at Vanderbilt University, said in order to compete with future GOP contenders Thompson needs to raise more than $5 million per month.

The fact that Thompson didn’t reach that number is “certainly not good news,” Oppenheimer said.

“It’s sort of is probably a little disquieting to Thompson supporters,” Oppenheimer said. “That is, if you thought you had a candidacy than it was just going to take off, this has slowed it a bit.”

Marvin Norfleet of Hermitage, a Thompson supporter, said he is worried about the fundraising numbers. But Norfleet thinks the former senator will have a big upswing in support once he enters the race.

Norfleet said he’s still as optimistic about Thompson as he was when he was one of hundreds who wildly cheered him when he arrived in Nashville for a fundraiser in June.

“You’re going to have downsides to any campaign,” Norfleet said.

Thompson’s committee filed the information with the Internal Revenue Service on Tuesday. Donations came from all 50 states, with 7,534 of the 9,167 contributions coming online. The report covered June 1-30.

Thompson called the “level of support and enthusiasm from people across the country inspiring.”

“It tells me that people are ready for a leader who will change the national attitude from political bickering to a shared vision for our future,” Thompson said in a statement. “A leader who will bring us together, one who understands the challenges we face.”

Of the $3.4 million raised, about $368,000 came from small donations less than $200. Those contributions are not itemized, and some may have come from Tennesseans to make the total given much higher than $1.4 million.

Thompson not reaching the $5 million goal continues a recent rough stretch for his potential bid. He had a major staff shake-up last week and has new campaign managers.

Meanwhile, Thompson has still performed very well in national polls of Republican primary contenders, often leading or a close second.

But he has not yet officially entered the race. The announcement was once expected around July 4, now is looked for about Labor Day.

When Thompson first began flirting with running for president in March, Oppenheimer said Thompson “really had to get in” especially because of the more than 20 states that have their primaries for Feb. 5.

“If you’re going to be ready for Feb. 5, you need beaucoup dollars,” Oppenheimer said. “The price of poker, the price of entering this game, is higher than it has ever been before.”

The average contribution was $369.87. About two-thirds of the total contributors, 6,888, gave less than $200.

The committee spent $625,745 with $66,750 on “Web hardware” and $106,852 on payroll.

The committee said it had not done any direct mail or telephone calls.