Republican and Conservative political analysis and commentary

Although Fred Thompson's entry into the Republican presidential race represents a direct challenge to a basic rationale for Mitt Romney's campaign, Romney said yesterday that he would welcome Thompson into the race for the GOP presidential nomination, the AP reports. 

Romney said Thompson, an actor and former senator from Tennessee, would add interest to the race. ... "I'm probably not a good political pundit to know what is going to happen precisely," Romney said during the taping of an Iowa Public Television show. "I think he’ll make the race more interesting. He’s got good ideas and after all, he does put bad people in jail every week on ’Law and Order.'"

Romney is being publicly diplomatic, but behind the scenes you know his campaign is scrambling to adjust to Thompson's being in the race. Romney has long tried to market himself as the most conservative Republican candidate with a chance to win in the general election. But Thompson's entry into the race undercuts that strategy big-time.

Veteran political reporter David Yepsen of the Des Moines Register says today that, "There is some evidence to suggest Thompson would hurt Romney, one of the three front-runners in Iowa, by entering the race."

Yepsen compared two polls of likely GOP caucus-goers taken during May. The Iowa Poll, sponsored by the Des Moines Register, did not include Thompson, who has not formally announced his candidacy. But the American Research Group poll, taken by a Manchester, NH research firm, did include Thompson.

Romney is at 30 percent in the Iowa Poll that did not include Thompson but only 16 percent in the ARG poll that included Thompson. 

Yepsen again:

Romney’s also been plagued by talk he’s a flip-flopper on conservative issues, while Thompson’s conservative credentials are solid. And Thompson also seems like an electable candidate to many Republicans who have been dissatisfied with the 2008 field.  So, GOPers looking for good, electable conservative may well move from Romney to Thompson.

On the other hand, says Yepson, Thompson is at only 6 percent in Iowa in the ARG poll.