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Posted: December 18, 2007 5:51 PM
Thompson Lands Iowa Lawmaker's Endorsement, Embarks on Bus Tour
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This week, former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., picked up endorsements from the California ProLife Council and Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa.

Thompson graciously accepted King’s endorsement in the early caucus state. “He’s a tireless fighter for the 5th district of Iowa and I’m honored by his support,” Thompson said of the Iowa congressman in a statement.

King’s endorsement should help Thompson in his efforts in Iowa, where he embarked on a bus tour that will continue until the state’s Jan. 3 caucus.

Although the former senator has been polling far behind front-runners Mike Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Thompson says he’s not losing steam in his push for the nomination.

“I don’t take myself too seriously, but I take what I’m doing very, very seriously,” Thompson said, according to the New York Times. “That’s why we’ll be going around the state, talking about our country.”

A recent in-depth profile by the Washington Post chronicled difficult times in Thompson’s life and emphasized what separates him from GOP rivals, calling the former senator “a reluctant candidate, not terribly interested in stumping, slow to enter the race and so laid-back that he declines to take a wide-open shot at an opponent during a televised debate.”

Thompson, who has been criticized for his relaxed nature and accused of campaigning with less vigor than other candidates, was asked if he could be “a presidential horse for conservatives to ride in the campaign,” and replied, “All I’ve got to say is saddle me up,” according to the Associated Press.