{"id":74343,"date":"2008-11-04T10:09:54","date_gmt":"2008-11-04T15:09:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/2008\/11\/04\/13591\/"},"modified":"2024-04-14T04:13:50","modified_gmt":"2024-04-14T09:13:50","slug":"13591","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2008\/11\/04\/13591\/","title":{"rendered":"Religion and Politics \u201908: Fred Thompson"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"thompson(1)\"<\/figure>\n\n

Background<\/h2>\n\n
\n

Hometown<\/strong>\nLawrenceburg, Tenn.<\/p>\n

Age<\/strong>\n67<\/p>\n

Religion<\/strong>\nChurch of Christ<\/p>\n

Education<\/strong>\nVanderbilt University, J.D., 1967\nMemphis State University (now University of Memphis), B.S., 1964<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n

Candidate Website<\/strong>\nwww.imwithfred.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Candidacy Status<\/strong>\nFormally declared candidacy Sept. 5, 2007\nFormally withdrew candidacy Jan. 22, 2008<\/p>\n

Political Experience<\/strong>\nU.S. Senator from Tennessee, 1994-2003\nMember, Tennessee Appellate Court Nominating Commission, 1985-1987\nSpecial Counsel, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, 1982\nSpecial Counsel, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, 1980-1981\nSpecial Counsel to Lamar Alexander, governor of Tennessee, 1980\nMinority Counsel, Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities (“Watergate Committee”), 1973-1974\nAssistant U.S. Attorney, 1969-1972<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n

Professional Experience<\/strong>\nSenior Analyst, ABC News Radio, 2006-present\nMember, Council on Foreign Relations, 2003-present\nVisiting Fellow, American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, 2003-present\nFeature film and television actor, 1985-present\nLobbyist, Equitas Limited, 2004-2007\nAttorney, Arent Fox Kintner Plotkin & Kahn, 1991-1994\nLobbyist, 1975-1993<\/p>\n

Family Information<\/strong>\nSpouse: Jeri Kehn Thompson\nChildren: Fred Dalton “Tony” Thompson Jr., Elizabeth “Betsy” Thompson Panici (d. 2002), Daniel Thompson, Hayden Thompson, Samuel Thompson<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

<\/div>\n\n

Religious Biography<\/h2>\n\n
\n

In His Own Words<\/strong><\/p>\n

“For Americans, [‘first principles’] are found in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. They include a recognition of God and the fact there are certain rights that come from Him and not the government.” (Speech, May 2007<\/a>)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

Fred Thompson was baptized as a young boy at the First Street Church of Christ in Lawrenceburg, Tenn., the small town where he was raised. The church is affiliated with the\u00a0Church of Christ<\/a>, a fellowship of 13,000 congregations with 1.3 million members in the U.S. According to Thompson spokesman Mark Corallo, Thompson attended church “more than once a week” as a child because his mother was “very involved” there.<\/p>\n\n

Thompson married his girlfriend, Sarah Lindsey, at age 17. After 25 years of marriage and three children together, the couple divorced in 1985. In 2002 Thompson married Jeri Kehn, a lawyer and political consultant, at the First Congregational Church in Naperville, Ill., which is part of the United Church of Christ, a liberal denomination that is not affiliated with the more conservative Church of Christ. The couple now has two small children, and Thompsonsaid<\/a>\u00a0he engaged in a lot of “discussion and prayer” about the toll a campaign would take on his family.<\/p>\n\n

A Thompson spokesman declined to confirm whether or where Thompson is currently a church member. Thompson’s mother, Ruth, attends the Brentwood Church of Christ in Franklin, Tenn., and members have\u00a0reported<\/a>\u00a0that Thompson accompanies her to church when he visits.<\/p>\n\n

Only one previous president, James Garfield, belonged to the Church of Christ.<\/p>\n\n

On The Issues<\/h2>\n\n

Abortion\u00a0<\/strong>Thompson\u00a0told<\/a>\u00a0FOX News Sunday in March 2007 that he is “pro-life,” and that he believes Roe v. Wade was based on “bad law and bad medical science” that could be remedied through the appointment of “good judges.” At the October 2007 Values Voter Summit, Thompson\u00a0said<\/a>\u00a0that seeing the sonogram of his daughter solidified his anti-abortion stance, and added that as a result, “no legislation will pass my desk that funds or supports this procedure without my veto.” While serving in the Senate he\u00a0voted for<\/a>\u00a0the Partial-Birth Abortion Act of 2000. On a 1996 Christian Coalition survey, he\u00a0handwrote<\/a>, “I do not believe abortion should be criminalized. This battle will be won in the hearts and souls of the American people.” In a\u00a01994 political questionnaire<\/a>\u00a0Thompson indicated that he agreed with the statement “abortions should be legal in all circumstances as long as the procedure is completed within the first trimester of the pregnancy.”\u00a0Compare McCain and Obama<\/a><\/p>\n\n

Church and State\u00a0<\/strong>Thompson has\u00a0criticized<\/a>\u00a0the judiciary for overstepping its bounds and attempting to set “social policy.” He wrote that “Many federal judges seem intent on eliminating God from the public schools and the public square in ways that would astound our founding fathers. \u2026 They ignore the fact that the founders were protecting the church from the state and not the other way around.”\u00a0Compare McCain and Obama<\/a><\/p>\n\n

[ing]<\/p>\n\n\n

Education\u00a0<\/strong>In 2001 he\u00a0voted against<\/a>\u00a0increasing tax credits for college tuition and student loan payments, though in 2000 he\u00a0voted in favor<\/a>\u00a0of allowing parents to create tax-free savings accounts for educational expenses. In 1997 he\u00a0voted for<\/a>\u00a0a bill to allow\u00a0school vouchers in the District of Columbia<\/a>\u00a0and again\u00a0supported vouchers<\/a>\u00a0in a 1999 vote. In 1996 he\u00a0voted in favor<\/a>\u00a0of federally funded abstinence education for high school students.\u00a0Compare McCain and Obama<\/a><<\/p>\n\n

Environment\u00a0<\/strong> Speaking on\u00a0his ABC Radio show<\/a>, Thompson\u00a0questioned<\/a>\u00a0the idea of global warming, pointing to evidence of warming on other planets in the solar system: “This has led some people, not necessarily scientists, to wonder if Mars and Jupiter, non-signatories to the Kyoto Treaty, are actually inhabited by alien SUV-driving industrialists who run their air-conditioning at 60 degrees and refuse to recycle.” He has since\u00a0said<\/a>\u00a0that “climate change is real.” In 1999 he\u00a0voted against<\/a>an amendment to increase federal funding for solar and renewable energy programs and\u00a0against<\/a>\u00a0allowing the study of tougher fuel efficiency standards.<\/p>\n\n

Compare McCain and Obama<\/a><\/p>\n\n

Faith-Based Initiatives\u00a0<\/strong>As a senator, Thompson supported President Bush’s Faith-Based Initiative,\u00a0writing<\/a>\u00a0in 2001 that “we should stop spending billions of dollars on programs we don’t know are working and allow faith-based programs to compete for this funding.”\u00a0Compare McCain and Obama<\/a>Gay Marriage\u00a0<\/strong>Thompson\u00a0said<\/a>\u00a0he believes Americans should be “a tolerant people” but added that he opposes “special rights” for anyone. He said that “Marriage is between a man and a woman, and I don’t believe judges ought to come along and change that.” During the October 2007 Values Voter Summit, Thompson\u00a0appeared<\/a>\u00a0to support a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman. In March 2007, he\u00a0said<\/a>\u00a0that states should have “great leeway” in deciding whether to allow civil unions between gay partners. In 2000 he\u00a0voted against<\/a>\u00a0expanding federal hate crime protections to include gender, sexual orientation and disability.\u00a0Compare McCain and Obama<\/a><\/p>\n\n

Health Care\u00a0<\/strong>Thompson has\u00a0criticized<\/a>\u00a0“socialized medicine” proposals, saying that national health care systems in Canada and England are “coming apart at the seams.” He\u00a0supports<\/a>\u00a0President Bush’s call for electronic medical record keeping to save money, reduce medical errors and keep insurance premiums down. In 2001 Thompson\u00a0voted against<\/a>\u00a0a bill allowing patients to sue health insurance providers. In 1998 he\u00a0voted against<\/a>\u00a0increasing tobacco restrictions, and in 1996 hevoted against<\/a>\u00a0health care savings accounts.\u00a0Compare McCain and Obama<\/a><\/p>\n\n

Immigration\u00a0<\/strong>Thompson\u00a0said<\/a>\u00a0there is “no good solution” to the problem of illegal immigration but that border enforcement\u00a0must come before<\/a>\u00a0any other legislation. He\u00a0criticized<\/a>\u00a0Mexican President Philipe Calderon’s leftist economic policies for contributing to illegal immigration. While he was a member of the Senate, Thompson voted to\u00a0allow<\/a>\u00a0more temporary immigrant workers and more\u00a0highly skilled immigrants<\/a>. He also\u00a0voted<\/a>\u00a0to limit welfare benefits for legal immigrants. In October 2007, Thompson\u00a0announced<\/a>\u00a0that he would crack down on cities and other areas that provide sanctuaries and social services for illegal immigrants.\u00a0Compare McCain and Obama<\/a><\/p>\n\n

Iraq War\u00a0<\/strong>Thompson\u00a0said<\/a>\u00a0in March 2007 that he would do “essentially what the president’s doing” on Iraq, though he noted that mistakes have to be “rectified.” He\u00a0said<\/a>\u00a0he has “faith” in General David Petraeus’ leadership: “We need to take advantage of any opportunity we’ve got down there.” If the U.S. pulls out of Iraq under “bad circumstances,” Thompson\u00a0warned<\/a>, then Iraq will become a “haven for terrorists” and the resulting instability could lead Sunni countries to develop nuclear weapons as a counterweight to Iran’s nuclear program. In an October 2007 interview, however, Thompson said that a long-term U.S. presence in Iraq “would not be a good development.” When asked how he would define success in Iraq, he answered, “The average person being able to go to worship without fear of being blown up. … Political leaders being able to meet without fear of being blown up. The key is stability, and that would signal a level of stability we haven’t had.”\u00a0Compare McCain and Obama<\/a><\/p>\n\n

Poverty\u00a0<\/strong>Thompson\u00a0criticized<\/a>\u00a0programs that would “redistribute the income among our citizens” as “defeatist” in May 2007. A policy of lowering taxes, he\u00a0said<\/a>, would stimulate economic growth and “make the pie bigger.” In 1999 he\u00a0voted against<\/a>\u00a0an increase in the minimum wage. He alsovoted<\/a>\u00a0to reduce taxes on married couples in 2000.\u00a0Compare McCain and Obama<\/a><\/p>\n\n

Stem Cell Research\u00a0<\/strong>Thompson\u00a0told<\/a>\u00a0the National Right to Life Conference in June 2007 that he supports adult stem-cell research, but not “stem-cell research where embryos of unborn children are destroyed.” He said, “It looks to me like there is a lot of promising developments as far as adult stem-cell research is concerned anyway and we don’t need to go down that other road.”\u00a0Compare McCain and Obama<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Background Hometown Lawrenceburg, Tenn. Age 67 Religion Church of Christ Education Vanderbilt University, J.D., 1967 Memphis State University (now University of Memphis), B.S., 1964 Candidate Website www.imwithfred.com Candidacy Status Formally declared candidacy Sept. 5, 2007 Formally withdrew candidacy Jan. 22, 2008 Political Experience U.S. Senator from Tennessee, 1994-2003 Member, Tennessee Appellate Court Nominating Commission, 1985-1987 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sub_headline":"","sub_title":"","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"ai_generated_summary":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"relatedPosts":[],"reportMaterials":[],"multiSectionReport":[],"package_parts__enabled":false,"package_parts":[],"datacite_doi":"","datacite_doi_citation":"","_prc_seo_qr_attachment_id":0,"spoken_article_player_enabled":true,"displayBylines":false,"footnotes":"","prc_watchers":[],"_prc_fork_parent":0,"_prc_fork_status":"","_prc_active_fork":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[46,24,39],"tags":[],"bylines":[],"collection":[],"datasets":[],"level_of_effort":[],"primary_audience":[],"information_type":[],"_post_visibility":[],"formats":[458],"_fund_pool":[],"languages":[],"regions-countries":[],"research-teams":[517],"workflow-status":[],"class_list":["post-74343","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-election-2008","category-religion","category-us-elections-voters","formats-report","research-teams-religion"],"label":false,"post_parent":0,"word_count":1434,"canonical_url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2008\/11\/04\/13591\/","art_direction":false,"_embeds":[],"watchers":[],"table_of_contents":[],"report_materials":"","report_pagination":{"current_post":null,"next_post":null,"previous_post":null,"pagination_items":[]},"parent_info":{"parent_title":"Religion and Politics \u201908: Fred Thompson","parent_id":74343},"materialsOrdered":[],"chaptersOrdered":[],"partsOrdered":[],"partsEnabled":false,"datacite_doi":"","prc_seo_data":{"title":"Religion and Politics \u201908: Fred Thompson","description":"Background Hometown Lawrenceburg, Tenn. 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