Thompson Poaching McCain's Fields

Former Sen Fred Thompson's (R-TN) entry into the GOP Presidential sweepstakes is costing Sen John McCain (R-AZ) a ton of money. And it comes at a crucial time for candidates to show potential donors they can raise the big bucks. The Washington Post highlights some of the defections:

John Dowd represented Sen. John McCain in his darkest hour, the "Keating Five" scandal. He supported McCain the first time he ran for President in 2000 and signed up to be a major fundraiser for him in this year's presidential race. But when former senator Fred D. Thompson began thinking about running, the Washington lawyer changed his mind.

McCain ran third in GOP fundraising in the first quarter FEC reports -- behind fmr Gov Mitt Romney (R-MA) and fmr Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R-NYC). The second quarter is coming up fast -- and Mr Thompson is raking in support from conservatives turned off by the moderate to outright liberal leanings of Mr Romney and Mr Giuliani. (WaPo)