Thompson says he's definitely in the race

By Michael Kranish, Globe Staff and James W. Pindell, Globe correspondent

Fred Thompson, the actor and former Tennessee senator whose flirtation with a presidential bid has frustrated some supporters, will file papers to officially enter the race next Thursday, his campaign manager told key backers this afternoon.

"Fred is definitely is going to make the race," campaign manager Bill Lacy told members of the Thompson campaign's national finance team in a conference call. "We are in this race to win."
Lacy said Thompson will also announce his campaign on a webcast next Thursday. After that he is expected to visit Iowa Sept. 7, New Hampshire on Sept. 8 and 9, and South Carolina after that. There will also be events Sept. 13-15 in Florida and Tennessee, Lacy said.

Thompson's national finance chairman Phil Martin said the campaign has raised over $6 million already, but that "September needs to be a big month" in raising campaign funds.

Thompson's entry in the race has been a foregone conclusion for weeks, but his refusal to definitively declare his candidacy had begun to irritate some backers who were concerned he had lost precious momentum. Nonetheless, in most national polls he is in second place among Republican hopefuls, trailing Rudy Giuliani and leading Mitt Romney.
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Political analysts cautioned, however, that Thompson's strong national numbers may stem in part from his high name recognition due to his standing as a star of movies and television. His poll numbers are lower in some early primary and caucus states.