Fred Thompson Joins Major Business Groups for Presidential Town Hall

The National Federation of Independent Business, the National Restaurant Association and Associated Builders and Contractors host former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson for the fourth of their 2008 presidential election "Town Halls" on Monday, Dec. 3 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

U.S. Sen. John McCain kicked off the series on Oct. 16, followed by former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani on Oct. 30 and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney on Nov. 6.

The Presidential Town Halls are an exciting new venture for NFIB, NRA and ABC, utilizing teleforums that provide an effective way for the organizations' members to hear from and interact with candidates and elected officials. The town halls function much like a radio call-in show, and members who join the call will have a chance to ask presidential candidates questions live on the air. The events are for members only.

In addition to the four confirmed participants, U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, former U.S. Sen. John Edwards, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson were also invited to speak in the series. The host organizations continue to work to secure these candidates' participation.

The National Federation of Independent Business

NFIB is the nation's leading small-business advocacy association, with offices in Washington, D.C. and all 50 state capitals. Founded in 1943 as a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, NFIB gives small- and independent-business owners a voice in shaping the public policy issues that affect their business. NFIB's powerful network of grassroots activists send their views directly to state and federal lawmakers through our unique member-only ballot, thus playing a critical role in supporting America's free enterprise system. NFIB's mission is to promote and protect the right of our members to own, operate and grow their businesses. More information about NFIB is available online at http://www.NFIB.com/newsroom.

The National Restaurant Association

The National Restaurant Association, founded in 1919, is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which is comprised of 935,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets and a work force of 12.8 million employees - making it the cornerstone of the economy, career opportunities and community involvement. Along with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, the Association works to represent, educate and promote the rapidly growing industry. For more information, visit our Web site at http://www.restaurant.org.

Associated Builders and Contractors

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) is a national association representing more than 24,000 merit shop construction and construction-related firms in 78 chapters across the United States. For more news and information, visit ABC's website, http://www.abc.org.