SNEAK PEEK: Thompson Hits Iowa

August 16, 2007— -- After weeks of dipping his toe into the presidential waters, Fred Thompson may be putting one whole foot in Friday when he makes his first visit to Iowa. And what better place to start than the State Fair in Des Moines.

With his family by his side, the former senator turned TV star will make the rounds, check out pork on a stick, fried Twinkies and appropriately fawn over the life-size cow made of butter.

ABC News' Christine Byun reports that Thompson will start his day with a meeting with about 20 "conservative activists" in Des Moines.

Thompson will meet with Iowans at 1:45 pm ET followed by a session on the Register's "Soapbox" at 2:15 pm ET, a 3:15 pm ET tour of the fairground where "cameras are encouraged to get B-Roll" before he rounds out the day with even more glad-handing.

The Hawkeye state visit makes a lot of sense for the "Southern-fried Reagan" because he's hoping to prove to Republicans he's the authentic conservative in the race.

Thompson, who certainly doesn't yet have the advantage of a strong Iowa operation like Mitt Romney, may not be in that bad of a position on the eve of his inaugural trip. He's not even entered the race and he already places third among likely GOP caucus-goers according to a recent ABC News/Washington Post poll. Romney leads the pack with 26 percent, Giuliani finishes a point better than Thompson with 14 percent.

Could this be the turning point in the story of the '08 Iowa Republican caucus, a story which has been dominated by Romney?

Over in the Land of Lincoln, it looks like the end of the political road for former House Speaker Dennis Hastert who will announce Friday that he is retiring from Congress. Hastert, the former high school teacher and wrestling coach who was first elected in 1986, will make remarks at the Kendall County Courthouse in his hometown of Yorkville at 11:00 am ET

It's unclear whether Hastert will finish out his term or retire sometime before the end of the year. Hastert served as Speaker for eight years, the longest a Republican has ever served as Speaker of the House.