No Odds on Fred Thompson YetOddsmakers have held off posting odds on Fred Thompson, fearing his candidacy will place a major kink in the Republican race. The folks at Sportsbook.com believe that there will be a exodus towards Thompson once his official announcement is made July 4 and that there is a very strong chance he could get the favorite nod fairly early on. (see: Political Betting Odds)
This is Carrie Stroup reporting for Gambling911.com, the leader in providing up to the minute political betting odds for the 2008 US Presidential election.
Presidential hopeful John McCain (at 5 to 1 odds of becoming the next US President) said Thursday during a fundraising stop in Mississippi that Fred Thompson would make a viable Republican candidate, but he didn't express concern that his former Senate colleague would siphon off votes in the GOP primary.
Thompson, a former senator from Tennessee and "Law & Order" actor, seems poised to announce a run in 2008, and would join a field of Republican candidates led by McCain, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani
(at 3 to 1 odds of becoming the next US President) and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney
(at 8 to 1 odds of becoming the next US President).
Thompson supported McCain in his failed 2000 bid for the Republican nomination and the two worked together on key issues in the Senate.
"We're old friends," McCain said. "I'm sure Fred will add a lot to the campaign."
The idea of a Thompson candidacy has enticed some voters enough to push him into third place in national polls -- ahead of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who several analysts said yesterday has the most to lose if Thompson can pick up the conservative voters Romney is banking on.
But Giuliani would suffer too if conservatives rally to Thompson's side and see in him what they have seen in the ex-mayor -- an electable candidate with the aura of celebrity. In Thompson's case, he has the added benefit of being in line with conservatives on issues like abortion and gun control, unlike Giuliani.
"One of Giuliani's great strengths is that there was nobody in the race who could consolidate party support, and if Thompson does prove to be a strong candidate, he may be suddenly able to galvanize the right, which would be a problem for the mayor," said Stu Rothenberg, an independent political analyst in Washington.
Giuliani Wednesday welcomed a Thompson candidacy. "He has a great deal to offer," Giuliani said. "We'll all get a chance to make our point and I'm very comfortable with the idea that the Republican Party members get to decide who the candidate's going to be."
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Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com
Originally published June 1, 2007 12:10 pm ET
