ED THOMPSON MAKES BID FOR GOVERNOR OFFICIAL

Brother Of Tommy Thompson To Run As Libertarian

Madison - Against the most unsettled Capitol landscape in decades,
and vowing to dismantle the explosion in state spending led by his
brother, Ed Thompson formally announced his third-party bid for
governor next year.

On the steps of the Capitol, where his older brother, former Gov.
Tommy G. Thompson, served as the only four-term chief executive in
Wisconsin history, the former amateur boxer and outspoken mayor of
Tomah said he will run on the Libertarian Party ticket.

No Libertarian Party candidate has received more than 1% of the vote
for governor, however. But Ed Thompson's statewide name recognition -
31%, according to a poll released last week - means he is already a
more serious candidate than past Libertarian candidates.

Trying the same plainspoken populism that worked for his older
brother in 1986, when Tommy Thompson was elected governor, Ed
Thompson criticized the Capitol's professional Republicans and
Democrats, calling them "Republicrats" incapable of controlling
spending and cutting taxes.

"I'm no big-time Charlie," declared Ed Thompson, 56, recalling his
career as a federal prison guard, assembly-line worker, grocery store
owner and, since 1990, owner of the Tee Pee Supper Club in Tomah.

"I bought my first business when I was 24, back in Elroy," Ed
Thompson said. "I've been living on a budget ever since."

Candidacy a longshot

If Ed Thompson is elected governor - and a University of
Wisconsin-Madison political scientist Thursday called his candidacy a
"very, very, very longshot" - it would be the first time in state
history that two brothers have served as governor. That has occurred
in four other states, however.

But, political scientist Don Kettl also noted, the governor's race is
wide open because of several factors: Republican Gov. Scott
McCallum's shaky hold on the job, the economic recession causing a
potential $1.3 billion state budget shortfall, and the deepening
state legislative caucus scandal that may touch legislative party
leaders.

For now, Kettl said: "It's very difficult to rule anybody out."

Kettl noted that Ed Thompson's name identification, as measured by
the poll released last week, is already higher than two of the four
Democratic candidates for governor. "That's a strong base to build
on, for starters," Kettl said.

But Ed Thompson's potential liabilities are obvious, Kettl noted: He
could run the risk of being perceived as "Thompson light," and not
taken seriously. Others may dismiss him as "trying to capitalize on
his brother's reputation."

Outlining the issues

Instead of claiming any family legacy to be governor, Ed Thompson
denounced state spending that, during his brother's 14 years in
office, more than doubled.

Without mentioning his older brother by name, Ed Thompson denounced
"career politicians" - a label that fits Tommy Thompson, who had
bluntly told his younger brother not to run for governor.

"The high taxes are driving our jobs out of state, and our
family-wage jobs right with them," Ed Thompson said. "Spend now, pay
for it later. How will that ever be able to control taxes?"

Asked why he was running as a Libertarian, Ed Thompson said he began
looking for a new party in 1997, when he and dozens of other Monroe
County restaurant and tavern owners were raided for having alleged
illegal gaming devices. The charge against Ed Thompson was dropped
when the local prosecutor could not find an impartial jury, however.

Some of Ed Thompson's views may be easily targeted by his political
opponents, however. For example:

He advocates decriminalizing the use of marijuana, calling the war on
drugs a "dismal failure." A member of the Tavern League of Wisconsin,
Thompson thinks private businesses should be given an "equal playing
field" to run the same gambling operations as Indian tribes, which
have 17 casinos statewide.

Ed Thompson estimated that he could run an effective campaign for
governor for about $500,000, an amount he said he could raise. Even
if he came up with that amount, that would be far behind the
front-runners in the race. McCallum, for example, had more than $2
million in his campaign war chest as of June 30. Among the announced
Democratic candidates, Attorney General Jim Doyle had $1 million cash
on hand, U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett of Milwaukee had more than $900,000,
Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk had $91,849 and state Sen. Gary
George of Milwaukee had $52,804.

Other candidates who have registered to run for governor include:
Republican Marc Gumz of Endeavor; Wisconsin Green candidate Jim Young
of Sun Prairie; and independents Matthew C. Pietz of Milwaukee, Bill
Rebane of Saxon and Will J. Teague Jr. of Milwaukee.

(STYL)squote,p5.6 "I bought my first business when I was 24, back in
Elroy. I've been living on a budget ever since."

Ed Thompson, Libertarian candidate for governor

ALLAN ED THOMPSON

TOMAH MAYOR Age: 56.

Education: Spent several years at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
but did not graduate.

Career: Tomah mayor, owner of three taverns. Formerly was a worker in
General Motors plant; fireman on Chicago Northwestern railroad;
Juneau County plow and snow crew; real estate broker; mutual fund
salesman; butcher; grocery store owner; guard and cook at a federal
prison in Oxford.

Personal: Engaged. Divorced with four children.