“Lots of people in Washington” Want Tommy to Run

Lobbyists Playing Key Role

MADISON- Yesterday, the D.C. publication POLITICO reported that according to a Thompson spokesperson and colleague at Akin/Gump, one of D.C. largest lobbying firms, “lots of people in Washington” want Tommy to run for U.S. Senate.  The report also indicated that Thompson has collected over $200,000 in pledges for a potential campaign.

 

The POLITICO story quoted one of Wisconsin’s biggest lobbyists and a former Thompson campaign manager as saying that the former Bush administration official “has taken additional steps in the past week and will continue to do so over the next several weeks.”

 

Reports also surfaced yesterday that another D.C. lobbyist is buying potential website domains for Thompson. 

 

“It’s not a surprise that lobbyists and DC insiders would rather have one of their friends in the U.S. Senate,” said Mike Tate, Chairman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, “Russ Feingold has built a strong record of independence taking on lobbyists and politics as usual in Washington.”

 

For his own part, a little over two weeks ago when Thompson was asked about a possible Senate run, he said “This election… it’s going to be decided on things, you know, that really are not that particular to Wisconsin.”  

 

And according to the POLITICO report, rather than talking about issues of importance to Wisconsin, an unnamed “Thompson aide” said that Tommy is “asking serious questions like, ‘Who would run the campaign? Who would do the fundraising? When would we announce? How much could we raise?’” 

 

“Listening to and taking direction from fellow lobbyists?  Tommy really sounds like he has spent too many years as a Washington D.C. insider,” Tate said.