Re: Fred Thompson Comes Up Short?

News of Thompson’s relatively anemic fundraising in June could put a damper on his big event in Washington tonight. It also calls into question the wisdom of Thompson’s decision to wait until the fall to enter the race officially rather than announcing in the spring or summer. Most of the Thompson supporters I interviewed for my story in the current print issue argued that the Democrats’ huge money advantage so far in this cycle was due in part to the fact that lots of GOP donors were sitting on their wallets waiting to see whether Thompson would get into the race. But if donors aren’t sure Thompson is in, they’re bound to be less generous with their cash. It’s a which comes first, chicken-or-egg, candidate-or-cash thing. And the less cash he raises, the less enthusiastic these would-be donors will be. Meanwhile, we’re also sure to see more stories about Thompson’s lack of drive and ambition and how it infected the fundraising effort.