Bill Lacy, long time adviser and campaign manager for Fred Thompson, sat down with Human Events to discuss his candidate and campaign strategy:
Lacy contends that Thompson is “exactly where he wants to be” He says that Thompson still registers in second place in some national polls. However, Lacy places great emphasis on Thompson’s ability to use paid TV ads to his advantage. He notes that Thompson has just gone on the air in Iowa and next week will be up in South Carolina. Lacy argues that “a dollar worth of Fred on the air is worth 2 or 3 dollars of any of the others.”
Lacy explained that GOP strongholds in the South, non-industrial Midwest( e.g. Iowa) and interior West (e.g. Idaho, Colorado) are reflected in the GOP delegate apportionment and represent as many as 328 delegates, or a quarter of the total. Lacy says that is “where we do best.” He acknowledges that South Carolina is “really critical” and Thompson’s task before that is to do well enough in places like Iowa, Wyoming, and New Hampshire so that voters still believe “Fred is competitive’ by the time South Carolina rolls around. (He acknowledges that Thompson has “pretty much struggled in New Hampshire but thinks Thompson has “strength” in Iowa.) He terms this “building a strategic bridge to South Carolina.” If Thompson “survives the winnowing” process before South Carolina, Lacy likes his chances there and in Florida leading to Super Tuesday where a batch of Red states can be claimed.
This is why we contend that Thompson remains a serious competitor. The power of television ads cannot be underestimated. Romney has already demonstrated that paid advertising can buy media attention and early state support. Thompson already polls well in many of the "GOP stronghold" states, and once he goes up on air in the less saturated Feb. 5 markets, such as Florida, look for his numbers to rise.
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