Tommy Thompson 2008 presidential campaign finish at Ames. For his campaign, Thompson focused primarily on the issues of health care reform and the War in Iraq. He campaigned almost exclusively in Iowa but did participate in four nationally televised presidential debates. Political gaffes and health issues beset the campaign. After his withdrawal, Thompson endorsed Rudy Giuliani for president and backed John McCain once Giuliani exited the race. Four years later, Thompson unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Senate in Wisconsin as the Republican nominee. Tommy Thompson's political career began in 1966 upon his election to the Wisconsin State Assembly after graduating from law school at University of
Rudy Giuliani in other early contests, when Giuliani's staff went without pay in order to focus all efforts on the crucial late January Florida Republican primary. The shift of the electorate's focus from national security to the state of the economy also hurt Giuliani, as did the resurgence of McCain's similarly themed campaign. On January 29, 2008, Giuliani finished a distant third in the Florida result with 15 percent of the vote, trailing McCain and Romney. Facing declining polls and lost leads in the upcoming large Super Tuesday states, including that of his home New York, Giuliani withdrew from the race on