…according to new NBC/WSJ poll. Thompson will likely be in second in the national horserace if he announces. From NBC’s “First Read” via the Hotline:

in the latest NBC/WSJ poll, McCain comes out on top (although within the margin of error) when GOP voters are asked which candidate would follow Bush’s policies closely. McCain receives 63%, Giuliani 62%, Fred Thompson 39%, and Romney 37%. In the horserace, Giuliani leads McCain by 11 points (33%-22%), followed by Thompson at 17% and Romney at 12%; no other Republican gets more than 2%. On the feeling thermometer, 42% view McCain positively versus 22% who view him negatively — which is virtually unchanged from March, but a drop from the 50%-13% split he held back in May 2004, before McCain began aligning himself so close to Bush.