It's official -- almost. Fred Thompson will announce his candidacy for president next Thursday, Sept. 6, via Web video at www.imwithfred.com, reports the New York Times' Marc Santora. "There had been little doubt in recent weeks that Mr. Thompson, a former senator, Washington lobbyist and 'Law & Order' actor, would run for president," writes Santora. "But he kept his supporters and the rest of the field guessing as to when he might enter the race, postponing a July announcement as he built up a staff and began raising money."

That process hasn't gone smoothly, with staff firings and resignations, not to mention a lower-than-expected money haul in June. But Thompson still carries a great deal of star power. Indeed, his "formal announcement will come one day after the other Republican candidates debate in New Hampshire, but Mr. Thompson will probably get even more exposure, appearing that same night on 'The Tonight Show With Jay Leno' on NBC," Santora writes.

And it might not be a moment too soon. The Politico's Kenneth Vogel reports that Thompson, "facing scrutiny for stockpiling cash while he purported to be only exploring the possibility of a presidential bid," is returning between $20,000 and $25,000 worth of general election donor contributions. Writes Vogel, "the refunds give Thompson cover as he seeks to fend off a complaint to the Federal Election Commission alleging he violated federal campaign rules by running a full-fledged campaign while shielding his finances from the commission," although it won't end the FEC's inquiry.

There have been a few questions surrounding all the candidates regarding fundraising, especially money raised through "bundlers" -- the well-connected who are able to collect a pile of checks from friends and associates. As the NYT's David Kirkpatrick writes today, "The reliance on bundlers has exploded this year because, for the first time in three decades, the major candidates are planning to turn down public financing in favor of raising and spending money without being subject to any limit." The six leading primary campaigns, reports Kirkpatrick, have a total of 2,000 bundlers.

But both the Jack Abramoff and, more recently, Norman Hsu examples -- both bundlers -- show that the system is ripe for embarrassment for the candidate, as "it is harder for campaigns to be sure bundlers do not bring in money from illegal contributors."

Indeed, as the Boston Globe's Marcella Bombardieri reports, Hillary Clinton's connection to Hsu has been a thorn in the campaign's side all week. In an interview, Clinton vowed to increase "vigilance" in the donor vetting process. Both the Clinton campaign and Barack Obama's, which also received Hsu money, said they would donate the funds to charity.

Coming in at the bottom of the GOP stack, Ron Paul won't likely have many bundling problems anytime soon. But as the Wall Street Journal's Jackie Calmes reports today, the Paul phenomenon is real and spreading. "The iconoclastic 'Dr. Paul' is a libertarian advocate of minimalist government, a foe of the Federal Reserve and anything else not explicitly allowed by the Constitution, and perhaps the most antiwar candidate in the race," writes Calmes. "His rise, though modest, is testament as well to the power of his noninterventionist message, even in a party led by President Bush."

Another long-shot GOP candidate enjoying a profile in a major paper is Mike Huckabee. As the Washington Post's Sridhar Pappu reports , "It's hard to think of a candidate in recent political history who felt such a bounce and media hug after a second-place finish in a nonbinding contest where three of the top-tier candidates or almost-candidates -- John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson -- didn't bother to show. But man, is he working it."

"Though Huckabee's national poll numbers currently linger at single digits, political analyst Charlie Cook calls him a candidate with 'good crossover appeal to social conservatives and more secular Republicans.' "

At a campaign stop in Spartanburg, S.C., John Edwards gave a "breakneck 20-minute speech," reports the Spartanburg Herald-Journal's Jason Spencer. Lashing out at the Bush administration and special interests, Edwards also invoked JFK, Hurricane Katrina and appealing to the Muslim world. "On one side are (Osama) bin Laden and al-Qaida, and on the other side is America. The question is, which way will they go? That depends on us," Edwards said.

Obama's campaign is betting heavily on a win in the New Hampshire primary, reports the Washington Times' Brian DeBose. "Victory in the predominantly white states would energize blacks in early primary states such as South Carolina, where black voters make up nearly half of the Democratic electorate," writes DeBose.

Matthew Nugen, national political director for the Illinois Democrat's campaign, said, "No one in the campaign would disagree with the notion that we have to win a state like New Hampshire to do well with black voters in South Carolina and beyond."

But will the campaigns have to rethink their strategies following Michigan's move to a Jan. 15 primary? The Detroit Free Press' Dawson Bell and Todd Spangler report that the legislature's move yesterday, expected to be signed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm, "will almost certainly be countered by other states, especially Iowa and New Hampshire, which are intent on preserving their traditional primacy in the presidential selection process." Of the leading candidates, only Giuliani has said publicly that he supports the earlier date.

Get these and today's other election news at RCP's Politics and Elections page.