The first Associated Press report from the Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.) fundraiser in Columbia earlier today said the soon-to-be presidential candidate “focused on conservative themes as he courted Republican loyalists” in his first South Carolina visit.

“I don’t feel like I’ve left home,” the former Tennessee senator said in his slow drawl, a day after raising money in Nashville.

Thompson, 64, an actor and former Tennessee senator, has no serious political organization in South Carolina. Yet, he was greeted enthusiastically by some 400 people at a lunchtime fundraiser for the state GOP, a sign of Republican unease with the current field of 10 GOP candidates.

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Thompson, who is expected to declare his candidacy next month, easily sold out a Wednesday fundraiser for the state Republican Party. He will address the group but plans no other campaign-style events during his one-day visit. [LIZ SIDOTI - AP]