Thompson comes to Schwarzenegger Country to tout his own conservatism

Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, the top prosecutor on NBC's "Law & Order," made his opening California argument Tuesday for reclaiming his party for "common-sense conservative principles" – starting with the state that is home to Hollywood.

Campaigning in Sacramento – where another actor-politician, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, has frustrated many Republicans with his centrist governance – Thompson picked up the endorsement of the state party's leading conservative, Thousand Oaks Sen. and former gubernatorial candidate Tom McClintock.

McClintock, who has criticized Schwarzenegger as too liberal on health care, state spending and global climate change, Tuesday likened Thompson to former President and California Gov. Ronald Reagan. He declared that Thompson's candidacy presents the promise of "morning again in America."

In his first meeting with California reporters since he announced his candidacy shortly after Labor Day, Thompson cast himself as a conservative stalwart who stood for tax cuts, balanced budgets, welfare reform and "conservative, common-sense judges who would apply the law and the Constitution and not make it up as they went along."

"That's what I was yesterday. That's what I am today. That's what I'll be tomorrow," he declared.

In California, where Schwarzenegger enjoys strong popularity, Thompson's campaign is still lagging. A Field Poll last week of likely Feb. 5 presidential primary voters showed Thompson with 12 percent support to 13 percent for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and 25 percent for former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Even as Giuliani's support among California Republicans has eroded by 10 points since August, Thompson's numbers have remained stagnant.

Meeting with reporters at the Sacramento Convention Center, Thompson announced that McClintock would serve as his California campaign chairman and accepted the endorsements of 10 other state GOP lawmakers.

He avoided questions on the rift between Schwarzenegger and more conservative California Republicans, saying: "It's not the right thing for me to come in here and take sides on all the things that come down the road."

Thompson, who is campaigning as an anti-abortion, pro-gun rights and strong national security candidate, emphasized his own prescription for the party's direction: "We in our party need to remember what not only has been good for our country but successful for us as a party.

"We went down the road with sound conservative principles. It served as a magnet for people all across America," he said.

Thompson declined to endorse a Republican-led initiative drive to throw out California's winner-take-all presidential selection system – which could net the party 20 to 22 of California's presidential Electoral College votes even if the GOP fails to carry the blue state. "That's for Californians to decide," he said.

Meanwhile, he stood up for Blackwater guards who were granted limited immunity by the State Department in an investigation into the killing of 17 Iraqi civilians.

"A lot of them (Blackwater employees) have served their country gallantly and they're undoubtedly doing a job for America over there. So I'm not going to rush to judgment against these people," he said.

In an Oct. 23-24 Fox News poll, Thompson trailed Giuliani by 31 percent to 17 percent, with Arizona Sen. John McCain and Romney at 12 percent and 7 percent, respectively.

Thompson is struggling in early-voting states, including Iowa, where he trailed Romney by 29 percent to 18 percent in an Oct. 7 Des Moines Register poll, and in New Hampshire, where he is running in fifth place.

"This isn't a national campaign. This is a state-by-state campaign," said Romney spokeswoman Sarah Pompei. She said the winner of the early-voting states will be the one who unites the GOP's core constituencies - "the fiscal conservatives, the social conservatives and the national defense conservatives."

Even though Giuliani has slipped in California, spokesman Jarrod Agen said the mayor has "maintained a significant lead" since Thompson entered the race.

"We feel confident ... we can build conservative support in California," he said.

The Giuliani campaign put out a memo arguing that Thompson falls short of McClintock's conservative credentials by refusing to sign a no-new-taxes pledge.

Sacramento Republican consultant Kevin Spillane said the endorsement by McClintock – "an acceptable conservative" and strong personality in the state party – could boost Thompson. But he said the low-key, drawling Tennessean faces a challenge inspiring conservatives who may agree with him on most issues.

"His greatest strength is that he is this 6-foot-5, hulking president who is tough and forceful and solidly conservative," Spillane said. "The biggest question is about his fire in the belly, his drive and determination.

"Voters don't like politicians who are overly ambitious. But among insiders it creates doubts over whether he has the hunger to go the distance."

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• Call Peter Hecht, Bee Capitol Bureau, (916) 326-5539.