WASHINGTON -- Fred Thompson, the former Tennessee senator and "Law & Order" actor, is taking significant steps toward an expected summer entry into the crowded but extraordinarily unsettled Republican presidential race.
His likely candidacy could give restless conservatives somewhere to turn.
A crucial bloc of the GOP, those voters have not fully embraced the leading contenders, giving Thompson what his backers argue is an opening for a "true conservative" who can triumph in November 2008.
The 64-year-old Southerner would bring a right-leaning Senate voting record with a few digressions from GOP orthodoxy and a dash of Hollywood star power given his many movie roles and TV stint as the gruff district attorney on NBC's popular crime drama.
A Thompson bid also could make the contest to succeed President Bush even more topsy turvy; all three top-tier candidates -- Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and Mitt Romney -- could lose some measure of support and the seven underdogs could become even more irrelevant.
Thompson will make his first formal campaign move in the coming days, establishing an official organization to weigh a White House bid while launching a major fundraising drive on Monday, according to several Republicans with knowledge of his plans.
Speaking on condition of anonymity because the timeline is not public, these officials said Thompson may visit early primary states in late June and could officially enter the race as early as the first week in July.
"Senator Thompson is still seriously considering getting into the presidential contest and he is doing everything he has to do to make that final decision," said Mark Corallo, a Thompson spokesman. "Stay tuned."
