FRED THOMPSON

A late entrant in the presidential race, Fred Thompson has tried to portray himself as a politician out of the Ronald Reagan mold. The actor and former Tennessee senator is widely recognized for his role on TV's "Law and Order," but he has yet to translate that fame into a place at the front of the Republican pack.

BIRTHDAY: Aug. 19, 1942 (65) HOMETOWN: Sheffield, Ala. RELIGION: Church of Christ FAMILY: Married to Jeri Kehn since 2002; has two children with her and three children from a previous marriage

EDUCATION: Bachelor's degree, Memphis State, 1964; law degree, Vanderbilt, 1967

EXPERIENCE: Assistant U.S. attorney, 1969-72; counsel to Senate Watergate committee, 1973-74; attorney/lobbyist, 1974-94; U.S. senator from Tennessee, 1994-2003; character actor, 1985-present

YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW: As a private attorney, Thompson represented Marie Ragghianti, a former Tennessee Parole Board member fired for refusing to release felons after they bribed aides to the governor to obtain clemency. Thompson won the case and played himself in a movie about it, beginning his unlikely career as an actor.

CAMPAIGN OFFICIAL WEB SITE WWW.FRED08.COM

DECISION TO RUN:

Says he has the experience to ensure that the country does not become weaker, less prosperous or more divided.

MAJOR THEMES:

Focuses on national security, cutting taxes and limiting the size of government. "I do not accept ... that the federal government must go on expanding more, taxing more and spending more forever."

IN NEVADA:

Thompson has visited Las Vegas twice, once for a campaign breakfast and once for a fundraiser. He doesn't have a campaign infrastructure in Nevada, but he has the support of state Sens. Bob Beers and Barbara Cegavske.

IN THE POLLS

NATIONALLY

After a sharp rise in most polls, Thompson dipped toward the end of 2007 but remains in the top tier of candidates.

NEVADA

A Review-Journal poll last month showed Thompson with 9 percent of the vote, placing him fourth among Republican candidates.

POSITIONS

WAR/NATIONAL SECURITY

While a senator, Thompson voted to give President Bush authority to use military force in Iraq. He supports the troop surge because "the consequences of an American defeat in Iraq are so great," and opposes a fixed timetable for withdrawal. He says he will call for a "million-member" military, 23,000 more than the Pentagon seeks.

HEALTH CARE

Says the country needs to replace health insurance that is tied to employment with an open marketplace where people can buy insurance from all over the country. Health care costs can be reduced, he says, by shifting to a system that promotes cost-effective prevention, chronic-care management and personal responsibility.

IMMIGRATION

While in the Senate, Thompson voted to increase funding for more Border Patrol agents. He criticized the Senate's 2007 proposed immigration reform bill, which would have established a "guest worker" program and provided a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. Border security is most important, he says: Those who want to come into the country "need to knock, identify themselves and ask permission first."

NEVADA ISSUES

Voted for the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository while in the Senate but has not commented on it recently.

ENERGY

Would tap oil reserves in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which environmental groups seek to protect. "We've got this silly battle going on. We've got the reserves up there that can be tapped," he says. Wants to further develop other energy options, including coal, nuclear and undeveloped technologies.

TAXES

Wants to make the 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cuts permanent. Thompson also wants to simplify the tax code with a plan calling for only two rates: 10 percent for joint filers on income of up to $100,000 ($50,000 for singles) and 25 percent on income above those amounts. The plan would increase exemptions. A family of four would be exempt from income tax on the first $39,000 earned.

CRITICS

Some have questioned how much Thompson wants to be president and whether he has the drive to see the campaign through. He has been called a "lazy" senator. Few of his proposals ever became law. In 1998, he said he didn't "like spending 14- and 16-hour days voting on 'sense of the Senate' resolutions on irrelevant matters."