He went to all of Iowa's 99 counties to woo voters.
Of course he wanted to win but he would have been satisfied with a place or show finish.
WisPolitics reports that Tommy had told IowaPolitics.com that he expected to finish somewhere in the top three, along with Mitt Romney and Sam Brownback.
It didn't happen.
Results
1 Mitt Romney
2 Mike Huckabee
3 Sam Brownback
4 Tom Tancredo
5 Ron Paul
6 Tommy Thompson
7 Fred Thompson
8 Rudy Guiliani
9 Duncan Hunter
10 John McCain
11 John Cox
From the Associated Press:
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won an easy and expected victory in a high-profile Iowa Republican Party Straw Poll on Saturday, claiming nearly twice as many votes as his nearest rival.
Romney had been expected to win the test because he spent millions of dollars and months of effort on an event that was skipped by two of his major rivals.
Romney scored 4,516 votes, or 31.5 percent, to outpace former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee who had 2,587 votes, or 18.1 percent. Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback was third with 2,192 votes, 15.3 percent.
...The biggest loser of the evening likely was former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, who finished in 6th place with 1,039 votes. He had said repeatedly that if he didn't finish in the top two his campaign was likely to end. He left the event before the results were announced.
In Milwaukee, his campaign said Thompson would make an announcement about his future within 48 hours.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, it won't take that long.
Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson's campaign signaled tonight that he would end his presidential bid Sunday, a day after his 6th place finish in the Iowa Republican Party's straw poll.
Steve Grubbs, his senior national adviser, said a formal statement would be released Sunday.
Still, Grubbs made plain that Thompson would call it quits.
"The governor said from the beginning that if he didn't do well in the straw poll that it was unlikely that he would continue," he said. "Without a strong finish, it will be next to impossible to raise the money necessary to keep the campaign going forward."
Grubbs said Thompson "left everything on the court. He gave it everything he had. This time, it wasn't good enough."
..."He's very disappointed," Grubbs said. "He worked hard enough to earn a better finish, but he understands that sometimes the dynamics aren't there."
"I am personally devastated," Grubbs added. "I think he's one of the great American leaders of the last half-century and I think he has earned a spot much higher than he placed."
Tommy certainly gave it his best shot.
I think he earned a spot higher than sixth, too. He has so much more experience than others in the race, including winner Mitt Romney.
I have nothing against Iowans, but I don't think they should have so much power when it comes to the political future of the country.
It's weird that a goofy straw poll in Ames can make or break a candidate.
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I really wish Tommy would have challenged Herb Kohl in 2006, but he obviously had his eyes on the top executive position in the land.
I would love to see him run against Feingold in 2010. I think a U.S. Senate seat is his for the taking.
If he really wants to serve the people and not his ego, there's a place for Tommy.
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