An all-but-declared candidate for months, Thompson will establish an official organization in the coming days to weigh a White House bid while launching a major fundraising drive next week. The 64-year-old Southerner would bring an overwhelmingly conservative record with a few digressions from GOP orthodoxy to a crowded Republican field. Thompson, best known as the gruff district attorney on NBC's drama "Law & Order" and a character actor in scores of movies, also would add star power to the presidential race.
