Thompson Joins Race With 'Grand Entrance'

Eight months after his rivals hit the campaign trail, actor and ex-senator Fred Thompson headlined the Tonight Show to announce his run for president. "On the next president's watch, our country will make decisions that will affect our lives and our families far into the future,” he said. “We can't allow ourselves to become a weaker, less prosperous and more divided nation.”

Thompson is entering a packed field that is leaving Republicans less satisfied than Dems, the AP reports. Analysts say he is behind Giuliani and Romney in funding and planning but fares well in GOP polls. Some in New Hampshire are cynical about his televised “grand entrance” into the race; Thompson plans to air a 15-minute webcast on his site tonight to clarify his candidacy. (More Fred Thompson stories.)