Jeri Thompson's energy provides a jolt for her husband's campaign

Carla Marinucci: Jeri Thompson's energy provides a jolt for her husband's campaign

Jeri Thompson is front and center in her husband's campaign

So how much is Jeri Thompson, the wife of GOP presidential candidate Fred Thompson, really involved in his 2008 White House campaign?

Very.

Though she protested at Maria Shriver's women's conference last week that she is really not involved and mostly into the mom thing with her young children, it was clear in the Golden State this week that Jeri Thompson -- a former political consultant -- is front and center, literally, at her husband's press events in Sacramento and San Francisco, where she sat and observed it all.

In Sacramento, Mrs. Thompson took to the hallways before the event, armed with a big smile and a firm handshake, gamely introducing herself, energetically circulating among the crowd of conservative legislators who had endorsed her husband -- such as state Sen. Tom McClintock, Sen. Jim Battin and Assemblyman Chuck Devore.

Most of the group, including conservative leader McClintock, had never met Thompson or his wife until this week. But she was gathering information about them from Republican insiders.

"Everyone we talked to, coast to coast, ... (TV host) John McLaughlin, (Wall Street Journal editorial writer) John Fund ... is so excited for you all," she told the legislators before the press conference. "I got an immediate e-mail saying this is an amazing group of people, this is great news, a great coup."

Mrs. Thompson told them she'd been racking up the frequent flyer miles in the campaign, saying, "It's that Johnny Cash line, 'I've been everywhere, man.' I'm like, me too."

Her observation: "I see all these red state people in the blue states."

McClintock nodded, adding California is "a blue state, but you scratch the surface, it's still Reagan country."

"We think so, too," Mrs. Thompson said.

But the Thompson visit, however short, underscored some of her candidate husband's problems: especially the appearance that he needs a double shot of caffeine, and either he or his campaign is still not confident that he is comfortable with the media.

Fred Thompson limited access to short press conferences and turned away most TV interviews. For the second time in a state visit, the only outlet given access to him for any extended period of time was Flashreport.org, a Republican Web site.

The former Tennessee senator made news, some of it head-scratching to California Republicans, starting with his acknowledgement that he did not care to pursue the endorsement of Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who enjoys support of upwards of 60 percent of state voters.

"It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to not focus on the most popular elected statewide official in all of California -- and lead with (conservative McClintock) who has lost four statewide elections," said one senior GOP strategist who spoke not for attribution.

Adam Mendelsohn, the communications director for the governor, said only that "it is important that Republican candidates understand what matters to California Republicans -- as much as they try to communicate to Iowa Republicans. And that if you are serious about winning in California, the message to the most-arch conservative Iowa Republican doesn't resonate here."

Posted By: Carla Marinucci (Email) | November 01 2007 at 10:45 AM

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