The 2008 presidential campaign of Fred Thompson, lawyer, lobbyist, character actor and former Senator from Tennessee began on September 5, 2007 after six months of speculation.

[11] In early July 2007, Liz Sidoti of the Associated Press wrote: "Thompson's easygoing, no-nonsense style is clearly his strength and undoubtedly has helped him soar in presidential polls.

"[12] Tucker Eskew, a Republican strategist unaligned in the race, said, "Smooth is good, but sometimes nitty gritty is essential" and "He'll be tested (but) he has a little time.

"[12] Meanwhile, he received a flurry of press attention over lobbying work he had done in 1991 and 1992 for a group advocating relaxed regulations on abortion counseling at federally funded clinics.

[16] Thompson declared his intent to seek the nomination on September 5, 2007 on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

[17] He then began a five-day tour of early voting states, including Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

In late September and early October, Fred Thompson made several blunders including not being aware of the Supreme Court decision regarding lethal injection,[18] confusing the party in power during the John Roberts nomination,[19] being unaware of the controversy over drilling for oil in the Everglades,[19][20] and confusing Russia and the Soviet Union.

Thompson, who missed his first debate opportunity since declaring his candidacy, was criticized by event organizers and other GOP candidates for his absence.

[22] The October 9, 2007, CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, and the University of Michigan–Dearborn hosted a Republican debate in Dearborn, Michigan, at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center,[23][24] featured Thompson in attendance.

In early December, Fred Thompson rejected the NIE report stating that Iran stopped its nuclear weapons program.

He won 13% of the vote in the Iowa Republican caucuses, trailing Mike Huckabee (34%) and Mitt Romney (25%).

[32] Thompson was counting on a win in the southern conservative state to save his struggling campaign, and his poor showing was seen as a fatal blow to his candidacy.

[33][34][35][36] On January 22, 2008, after finishing third in South Carolina – a primary which he had publicly said he needed to win – Thompson announced his withdrawal from the race.

[41] On July 24, 2007, Thompson announced he was replacing his acting campaign manager, Tom Collamore, with former Michigan Senator and Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham and Florida GOP strategist Randy Enright.

He said that Roe v. Wade was a wrong decision that ought to be overturned, and that he was anti-abortion,[48] but he also said that states should decide not to criminalize young women for early term abortions.