Hometown Hero Cheered

Fred Thompson takes his bid for the presidency to his Tennessee roots

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Republican U.S. presidential candidate Fred Thompson moves through a crowd of supporters following a speech in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, on Saturday, September 15, 2007. (Photo: Jeff Adkins/Bloomberg News/Landov)

Presidential candidate Fred Thompson finished his first campaign tour in his bid for the Republican nomination at his hometown in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, on September 15.

The homecoming was actually the result of months of planning and anticipation by the city. Officials had decided to hold the event long before Thompson announced his candidacy. In a city of 10,000, more than 10,000 people turned up at the celebration of the hometown celebrity.

Stores in Lawrenceburg filled with people lining up to buy Fred Thompson campaign materials. And of course, being in Tennessee, country music rang out everywhere. John Rich from the group Big & Rich warmed up the crowd waiting for the former Senator to appear.

The main event started when the lawyer-turned-actor-turned-Senator-turned-actor- turned-presidential-candidate appeared. His speech focused on his campaign motto: security, unity, and prosperity. He also talked about his plans for his presidency. Though he didn’t go into much detail, the people of Lawrenceburg didn’t seem to mind.

"The crowd responded really well to the speech," said Christine Buttorff, a reporter for a Nashville radio station. "I mean, it was a crowd of all of his supporters, so I think they were going to like his speech no matter what he said."

However, not everyone in Lawrenceburg was supporting Thompson. Lawrenceburg Democrats staged two counter-demonstrations: one in town and one on the highway leading into town so the candidate couldn’t possibly miss them. "We know him and he and his family are nice people," said Democrat Ann Poag. "But that doesn't mean we agree with his stand on the issues."

After his 15-minute speech, Thompson made his way off the stage and back to his current home in Virginia. The Lawrenceburg rally was the end of Thompson’s first official week on the campaign trail.

Scholastic Kid Reporters are on the campaign trail. Keep up with the latest election news in this special report.

Aaron Broder is a member of the Scholastic Kids Press Corps.

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