Thompson Sees Strong Response Following Debate Victory -- Crowds, Money and Momentum Building
Contact: Press Office, 571-730-1010; www.Fred08.com
COLUMBIA, SC, Jan. 12 /Christian Newswire/ -- Just days after announcing his campaign was literally moving to South Carolina, Fred Thompson is enjoying a remarkable spike in support across the state and from donors around the country.
"From contributors on the internet, to voters packing his South Carolina events, even to pundits praising his debate performance, Fred Thompson is on a roll. We see the fight in South Carolina as critical. And we see Fred in fine fighting form," declared campaign manager Bill Lacy.
Key Stats and Information:
- The campaign has raised more than $300,000 online just since Fred's dominating debate performance on Thursday night.
- Fifty-six percent of all online donors since Thursday night are first-time contributors.
- We have had 14,296 contributions since the Iowa Caucus with an average contribution of $98.
- To date the campaign has more than 166,000 total donors and 283,000 people have signed up online as "Friends of Fred."
- More than 200 volunteers from all over the country have descended on South Carolina to help get out the vote.
- On the heels of Thursday's debate, Fred was endorsed by Human Events, the influential conservative publication. In addition, his debate performance has been praised by Rush Limbaugh, Bill Bennett and virtually every conservative blog and pundit.
It is no overstatement to say the campaign is being flooded with support. On Friday this week in Mt. Pleasant, the crowd at Fred's event at the Sticky Fingers Restaurant was so big the local Fire Marshall closed the doors and made some supporters wait outside to greet their candidate.
"I have been around campaigns for a long time," said Fred's South Carolina campaign manager Dean Rice, "and you don't very often find the kind of enthusiasm we're seeing here. The morning after Fred won the debate, it seems like we really hit the accelerator."
What South Carolina voters saw in the debate was noticed by much of the news media, too. The conservative National Review declared "Winner: Thompson" and called his performance "commanding." A New York Times commentator acknowledged "Thompson is out-toughing his rivals tonight on illegal immigration."
"The entire Republican Party relies on South Carolina to test all the contenders and find the true conservative. That process is well underway. Fred Thompson is the consistent conservative in this race and he clearly enjoys talking to kindred souls in South Carolina," Lacy concluded.
