Fred: The Juggernaut gains in the sunshine state!

From Townhall:

OF INTEREST:

In Florida, whose Jan. 29 primary will be one of the nation's first presidential contests, former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., has gained steam since his 5 percent showing in April, even though he's not yet a declared candidate. Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, and McCain, an Arizona GOP senator, have seen slight erosion since then. The Democratic contest has remained stable.

THE NUMBERS _ REPUBLICANS Rudy Giuliani, 31 percent Fred Thompson, 14 percent John McCain, 10 percent Mitt Romney, 8 percent

When Fred formally announces in July, look for his numbers to go astronomical.

On another note, there are those who think that a Fred Thompson candidacy will "steal votes" away from other candidates.

The truth is, no one really knows from whom Fred Thompson will steal votes once he enters the presidential race. And we're especially clueless about the second-degree effects of his candidacy.

Thompson's polling firm, McLaughlin and Associates, finds that Thompson wins the support of 18 percent of the Republican primary electorate today, stealing almost all of his votes from Rudy Giuliani.

Truth is, Fred Thompson "steals" votes from no one. They are there for the taking, and anyone who's looking for a pro-life, pro-gun, pro-security, pro-Iraq winning candidate, with the gravitas to sell the message, need only look to Fred Thompson. There is no other candidate in the field who fits that bill.

When the Republican National Convention comes to Minneapolis in 2008, I definitely want to be there to see Fred give his acceptance speech!

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