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New Poll: Thompson and Rudy Tied at 24%

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In a new national telephone survey of likely Republican voters, Rassmussen finds Fred Thompson, who is not officially a candidate yet, and Rudy Giuliani are tied with 24% favorability for each.

This past weekend, the Associated Press reported that Thompson's presumed entry into the Republican presidential field would draw "crucial strength from conservatives and older men," and would subsequently vault him "into the thick of the nomination fight" in 2008 - a prediction that appears to be coming true in the polls.

Rasmussen wrote, "It is not unusual for a candidate to gain ground in the polls when they first announce their intentions," but Thompson has not officially announced what his intentions are, except that he has formed a presidential exploratory committee and is expected to join the GOP race this summer.

The actor and former Tennessee senator also sent his aides to Iowa to find out "how the voting works, the logistics of it and how the program works in general," Chuck Laudner, executive director of the Republican Party of Iowa told the AP.

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  In last week's Rasmussen poll, Giuliani was ahead of Thompson 23 to 17 percent, and today's LA Times poll finds Giuliani ahead of Thompson 27 percent to 21 percent (the same poll also found that Giuliani would beat Hillary Clinton by 10 percentage points).

Sen. John McCain's numbers are in a free-fall: He is supported "by just 11% of likely Republican Primary voters nationwide. That’s down from 17% in May and 14% a week ago. His support is just half of what it was in January," writes Rasmussen.

Mitt Romney still has a share of right around 10% of likely GOP voters.

In addition, 42 percent think Thompson is a conservative, and only 21 percent think the same of Rudy Giuliani.

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