THOMPSON TOUTS COMMON MAN IMAGE IN GOVERNOR'S RACE

He Says He Should Be Included in Debates with Doyle, McCallum

MANITOWOC - It's the lawyer and the economist against the bartender in the
battle to be governor of Wisconsin.

On a campaign swing Monday through northeast Wisconsin, Ed Thompson, owner
of Mr. Ed's Tee Pee Supper Club in Tomah, said he believes voters will
choose him over Democrat Jim Doyle or Republican Scott McCallum.

"Voting for either one of those career politicians is a wasted vote,"
Thompson said. "Our Legislature was set up as citizen government. There's
no reason why a small businessman can't do the job as well as an attorney
(Doyle) or econ-omist (McCallum).

"I believe in my heart it's a two-way race - the common people and the
career politicians."

Thompson's primary vote total two weeks ago - 18,000 votes statewide - did
not meet the 6 percent threshold the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association set
to be included in debates with the attorney general and governor.

"But I have a right to be in them," Thompson said. "I've been in double
digits in the polls, spent $300,000, criss-crossed the state, run a valid
campaign."

He believes the Green Party's gubernatorial candidate, Jim Young, should
make for debate foursomes.

If he does get a higher profile platform to share his beliefs, Thompson
will stress:

- - "We have to get Wisconsin out of the top 10 in taxes. That's the way to
attract business and the only way to deal with unemployment," he said.

- - He vows no tax increases. One area to cut expenses is the penal system.
"We can cut the corrections budget in half, get non-violent people out of
prison."

- - Thompson said he's not in favor of drug or alcohol use -"the best
decision I made was to quit drinking eight years ago" - but "our drug war
is a dismal failure."

- - "Seniors are being taxed out of their property. They can't even go
downtown and have a beer," Thompson said. He won't cut Social Security for
those who've paid in all their life, but would promote "medical savings
accounts" for younger workers.

- - Thompson said he is pro-choice, "but that doesn't mean I'm pro-abortion.
Wisconsin has the toughest laws on abortion and I wouldn't do one thing to
weaken them."

- - Thompson is opposed to capital punishment. "I'm against the death
penalty. It's hard for me to kill anything. I carry bugs out of the house,"
he said.

- - No more state subsidization of school building projects. That needs to be
funded entirely by local citizenry.

- - The Qualified Economic Offer system for public school teachers should be
scrapped. "Revenue caps have to go, too," Thompson said. "We have to get
more money into the classroom and teachers' hands. Our administrative costs
are too high."

Refusing to accept Political Action Committee money, Thompson will keep
spending his own - "about $100 a day, at least" - with the personal tab now
more than $10,000.