Several Republican officials close to Fred ThompsonÂ’s presidential campaign said they expect the candidate will drop out of the race within days if he finishes poorly in ThursdayÂ’s Iowa caucus. ThompsonÂ’s campaign, which last spring and summer was generating fevered anticipation in the media and with some Republican activists, has never ignited nationally, and there are no signs of a late spark happening here in Iowa, where even a third-place finish is far from assured.
This reality — combined with a fundraising drought — left well-connected friends and advisers of Thompson Wednesday evening predicting that he will pull the plug on hype and hope before the Jan. 8 New Hampshire primary.