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Former Governor Makes Announcement During Tea Party Rally POSTED: 9:00 am CDT April 14, 2010 UPDATED: 3:34 pm CDT April 15, 2010 Email Print Comments (12)MADISON, Wis. -- Images: Images: Tommy Thompson At Tea Party Rally Former Gov. Tommy Thompson told 12 News reporter Kent Wainscott he will not run for U.S. Senate against Russ Feingold. Slideshow: Thompson Over The Years He said that he wanted to but decided at the last minute not to run, calling it a "family decision." Thompson made his formal announcement during a tea party rally at the state Capitol Thursday afternoon. Thompson's appearance cast...

U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wisconsin, responded to former Gov. Tommy Thompson’s potential run for Senate Tuesday in an e-mail to supporters. “It’s very likely that former Bush administration HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson will enter the Republican primary to run against me in November,” Feingold said in the message. On March 7, former Thompson aid Bill McCoshen said Thompson has been considering a campaign for the seat. “I wouldn’t expect to see an announcement from him until the Republican convention on May 20th,” McCoshen said on “Up Front with Mike Gousha.” “But you’re going to see additional evidence shortly that this...

Will he or won’t he? This question usually indicates one of two things around these parts: Either it is the NFL offseason or we are approaching an election of some sort. Brett Favre and former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson could easily be cousins. Both have been transplanted only to become Wisconsin golden boys. Both have retired, but both have had to consider whether they are happy with that status several times. Both can “still play.” Perhaps most significantly at this point, both are holding their respective organizations in suspense while they ponder their futures. Tommy Thompson has reportedly been considering...

Former Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, who served four terms as Wisconsin governor, is securing financial pledges and ramping up his outreach to longtime political aides in preparation for a possible campaign against Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold. Thompson has alerted his Washington-based law firm of his moves and is contacting key clients about the prospect of challenging Feingold, the most tangible signals yet that he’s seriously exploring a 2010 campaign. “The governor has taken additional steps in the past week and will continue to do so over the next several weeks. If the meetings go well, you can...

Former Gov. Tommy Thompson (R-Wis.) is encouraged by polls showing him leading Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) in a hypothetical matchup. He hasn’t announced a 2010 Senate run but admits he’s spoken to the head of National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and several other senators about the possibility. “It’s a good year for me,” Thompson told The Hill. “The polls are good in Wisconsin and I haven’t even indicated” an intention to run.

One more Democratic senator who has long been regarded as a safe prospect for reelection may be facing a challenging year in 2010. A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely voters in Wisconsin finds Republican Tommy Thompson edging incumbent Russ Feingold 47% to 43% in a hypothetical U.S. Senate match-up. Five percent (5%) like some other candidate, and four percent (4%) are undecided. Any incumbent who attracts less than 50% support at this point in a campaign is considered potentially vulnerable.

Former Wisconsin Gov. and Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson is still considering a challenge to Sen. Russ Feingold (D). In a brief interview Wednesday about the possibility of a Senate run this year, Thompson, a Republican, would only say: "I'm not saying no." The former governor mused last fall about a potential gubernatorial or Senate run, but if he does mount a campaign this year, it's now almost certain to be a run against Feingold. A Thompson-Feingold contest could become one of the country's marquee matchups. Republicans have so far been unable to recruit a top-tier challenger to...

Actor Duvall Blasts Palin Critics at Fundraiser October 14, 2008 8:24 AM ABC News' Imtiyaz Delawala Reports: Introducing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin at a GOP fundraiser Monday, actor Robert Duvall blasted conservatives who have criticized the McCain-Palin ticket in recent days, calling conservative columnist George Will a "super-nerd" and former Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson a "block of wood". At an RNC fundraiser in McLean, VA, Duvall introduced Palin for the third time since her nomination to the Republican ticket, taking the opportunity to accuse Republicans critical of the McCain campaign as giving "credence to the other side." "It bothers me...

(La Crosse, WI company will track health of ground zero workers) Washington - As President Bush's health chief, Tommy Thompson proudly trumpeted millions of taxpayer dollars to help workers sickened by the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks at the World Trade Center, even amid complaints that his agency wasn't doing enough. Now, Thompson's private company has won an $11 million contract to treat some of those same workers - the latest twist in a fitful government effort to determine how many people were made ill by the toxic debris and to care for them. The contract awarded by the U.S. Centers...

Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani will pick up the endorsement Friday of former GOP rival Tommy Thompson, a one-time Midwestern state governor. "Rudy Giuliani has shown that he is a true leader. He can and will win the nomination and the presidency. He is America's mayor, and during a period of time of great stress for this country he showed tremendous leadership," Thompson, the former Wisconsin governor, said in a statement obtained by the Associated Press. The former New York mayor is to accept the endorsement in South Carolina later Friday. Thompson is the first former 2008 Republican presidential candidate...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Republican presidential contender Rudy Giuliani is picking up the endorsement of one-time GOP rival Tommy Thompson, the former Wisconsin governor and Bush Cabinet member. "Rudy Giuliani has shown that he is a true leader," Thompson said in a statement obtained by The Associated Press. "He is America's mayor, and during a period of time of great stress for this country he showed tremendous leadership." The former New York mayor is to accept the endorsement in Charleston, S.C., later Friday. Thompson is the first former 2008 Republican presidential candidate to endorse in the race. He dropped out in...

Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson is currently meeting Republican presidential candidates with the purpose of determining who will earn his endorsement. Most of the candidates know Thompson well, as he was one of their number until voters in the Iowa Republican straw poll helped him decide to exit the competition in August. And Thompson should know them well as he spent a year trying to figure out how to beat them. As he considers which Republican to endorse, we hope Thompson will think most about himself, not the other candidates. No, we are not counseling self-absorption on the part of...

When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved implanting microchips in humans, the manufacturer said it would save lives, letting doctors scan the tiny transponders to access patients' medical records almost instantly. The FDA found "reasonable assurance" the device was safe, and a sub-agency even called it one of 2005's top "innovative technologies." But neither the company nor the regulators publicly mentioned this: A series of veterinary and toxicology studies, dating to the mid-1990s, stated that chip implants had "induced" malignant tumors in some lab mice and rats. "The transponders were the cause of the tumors," said Keith Johnson, a...

<p>I saw it again yesterday. This time on NPR.org. And this time, Ken Rudin was answering a reader’s question – What about a Thompson and Thompson ticket?</p> <p>Most Wisconsinites who bother to offer an opinion on the matter say Tommy is a take-charge guy – certainly not the second-in-line type. And certainly not a guy that sits around for four years looking for something to be important about. What columnist Rudin says is “Some people seem destined to be vice president, or lieutenant governor, or work for Avis. Not Tommy Thompson.”</p>

A liberal blogger has filed a federal complaint against former Sen. Fred Thompson, the actor and unannounced Republican candidate for president, accusing him of violating election laws as he ponders his entry into the race. The blogger, Lane Hudson, submitted his complaint to the Federal Election Commission on Monday saying Thompson has raised far more money than he needs to explore whether to run for president.

Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson abandoned his long shot bid for the White House late Sunday evening, after he did not meet the expectations he set for himself in the Iowa Republican Party straw poll held one day before. "I want to thank the people of Iowa who were welcoming and supportive as well as my volunteers and contributors from around the country," Thompson said in a statement released by his presidential campaign. "I have no regrets about running. I felt my record as Governor of Wisconsin and Secretary of Health and Human Services gave me the experience I needed...

MILWAUKEE (AP) - Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson is dropping out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination, a campaign official said Sunday. His campaign has released a statement saying the Republican is leaving the campaign trail several hours after WITI-TV in Milwaukee reported that Thompson told one of its reporters he was withdrawing from the field. The campaign statement said Thompson intends to take sometime off before returning to the private sector and his nonprofit work. The 65-year-old says he's comforted by the fact that he thinks he made a difference for people during his campaign. He finished...

Duncan Hunter: Ninth place is just the start. The California congressman told CNN’s “Late Edition” that he would continue to campaign in Iowa despite a disappointing performance. “This is the first full week I have spent in Iowa in this campaign,” Hunter said. “I got lots of people who signed up for my campaign. … This is the start of my campaign. We are going to get out, work hard. It is a bright morning in Iowa.”

Tommy Thompson's campaign just released the following statement: Thompson Thanks Supporters, Exits Presidential Race Madison - Saying he has 'no regrets', Governor Tommy Thompson thanked his supporters Saturday night and officially left the campaign trail. "I want to thank the people of Iowa who were welcoming and supportive as well as my volunteers and contributors from around the country," said Thompson. "I have no regrets about running. I felt my record as Governor of Wisconsin and Secretary of Health and Human Services gave me the experience I needed to serve as President, but I respect the decision of the...

By the time the writing of this sentence is finished, Tommy Thompson should be out of the presidential race. The 67-year-old former Wisconsin Governor and Bush cabinet member had been unusually honest in playing the expectation game before today’s Iowa Straw Poll. “I've said all along that if I don't come in first or second, I'll drop out of the race,'' he reminded the media earlier this week. Well, the votes are now in and tallied, and Mr. Thompson came in sixth. If this does indeed mean death-by-straw-poll for the Thompson effort, it can be considered a mercy killing. His...