Thompson's First 2 Months in Race Mixed

Republican Presidential hopeful, former Tennessee Sen., Fred Thompson speaks at a Politics and Eggs breakfast meeting with area business leaders in Bedford, N.H., Monday, Nov. 5, 2007.(AP Photo/Jim Cole) (Jim Cole - AP)

BEDFORD, N.H. -- The returns are mixed on Fred Thompson's first two months in the presidential race. The Republican candidate has battled criticism for his light campaign schedule, laid-back style and rambling speeches. He's flubbed questions. He's slipped some in national and early-primary polls.

Yet, he's still competitive with Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and John McCain in many surveys. He turned in a pair of decent debate performances. And he raised $12.5 million over four months from 80,000 donors.

"Of all the candidates that are out there, he's the one who most closely represents my values. He has my vote," said Laura Clark, 39, a stay-at-home mom from Bedford, who hadn't been convinced Thompson was her guy when she and her young daughter arrived Monday at a local inn to listen to him speak over breakfast.

Others weren't sold _ but indicated they could be if they knew more about him.

"He answered questions very completely. But I'm still undecided," said Monica Zulauf, 51, the executive director of the YWCA of Manchester who sought an autograph from the actor-politician. "I'm waiting for a candidate who resonates on all fronts for me."

Could Thompson be that person? "He might be," she said.

Since becoming a full-fledged candidate Sept. 5, Thompson still hasn't defined himself or his vision for many voters, presenting equal parts challenge and opportunity for the low-key Southerner little more than two months before voting begins.

He faces challenges from Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who has spent millions on ads to introduce himself, as well as Giuliani, the former New York mayor who is widely recognized for his work following the Sept. 11 attacks.

Staff upheaval has dogged the Thompson campaign. The latest departure came Monday when Philip Martin, a co-chairman, resigned after a report about his decades-old criminal record for drug dealing.

Advisers say Thompson has been introducing himself on the campaign trail and, in the coming weeks, will turn to advertising to flesh out his biography and his agenda. They acknowledge that Thompson's months-late entrance into the race caused some of the typical problems for a fledgling campaign. However, they argue, he is maturing as a candidate each day.

"This is exactly where we want to be. We are treated as a serious candidate," Rich Galen, a Thompson adviser, said, calling the two-month performance "way better than a mixed bag."

Still, Thompson has not become the conservatives' consensus candidate that backers made him out to be this summer. His answers on abortion, in particular, have upset some.