In the hottest Reports 2008 Republican poll was released today, shortly to be declared contender Fred Thompson holds a slight one point lead over previous New Your City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Thompson at present leads Giuliani, 24%-23%.
The prime impact Thompson seems to be having on the chase is the amount of distance he generates in the field between the top two contenders and then next two, John McCain and Mitt Romney.
McCain and Romney are still busy in their close combat for third, but both of them are supported by 12% of those asked in this newest poll. Much of how this chase turns out will depend on if Fred Thompson can influence Republican primary supporters that he is the most conservative contender.
It seems that Thompson’s publicity rise can be related to the trust that he is more conservative than Giuliani. If his words match the supporters’ expectations, this could be a long national primary battle.
However if Thompson fails to create the magic, the ‘anybody but Rudy’ forces could twist their interest towards Mitt Romney. I believe the only thing that we can absolutely be certain of is that these polls symbolize a deep discontent with the hope of Rudy Giuliani being the 2008 Republican presidential candidate.
Republicans has soft corner for Rudy, but they don’t believe that he is conservative enough to lead the ticket against a prospective match with Hillary Clinton. In the end, much of this competition will depend on how Fred Thompson performs. GOP hope may end up reducing or swimming with Thompson.