BRENTWOOD – The audience waiting to greet Republican presidential hopeful Tommy Thompson last night at the Rockingham County Nursing Home was small -- there were seven Rockingham County Republicans -- but he threw himself into the task at hand.

A far cry from the crowds that greet Rudy Guiliani, John McCain and Mitt Romney, the group of mostly Republican county officials seemed flattered with Thompson's folksy earnestness and willingness to chat with any one of them who would listen. Thompson, who counts himself as being in fourth place on the Republican side, made no bones about the difficult road ahead of him -- fundraising is hard, he said -- but he laid out a detailed plan for how he can still vault to the front of the pack.

Iowa is the key, the former Wisconsin governor said, and that's where he is headed this morning.

Thompson said he hopes that if he can organize a strong showing at the Iowa straw polls in late August, he can gain recognition, then return to New Hampshire in September to begin the work of organizing the state behind him, county by county.

Thompson said that if he can do well in Iowa in the caucus, he can move back to New Hampshire for a brief period of time and ride the momentum before the Granite State's primary.

"Iowa is a low-cost state, and with New Hampshire, you really have to be here for only about eight days (between the caucus and the primary,)'' he said.

And the fact that Thompson trails by a huge margin in terms of fundraising -- he ranks near the bottom, not having raised $1 million in the first quarter while Romney raised more than $23 million -- does not seem to deter him either. The quick pace of major primaries after the New Hampshire contest helps small candidates, he said.

"No matter how much money you have, you're not going to be able to spend it all,'' he told the group.

State Rep. Sharon Carson of Londonderry said that even though she's a McCain supporter, she liked the clear, deliberate way Thompson laid out his plans to the group.

"I think it's a great idea. I think it demonstrates that he's deliberate and he's thinking it through,'' she said.

Carson said she's not ready to jump ship from McCain, but she particularly likes Thompson's humbleness and apparent willingness to work with locals.

"Instead of standing at a podium pretending to be a rock star, here's a guy who's been in the trenches, doing the work and offering real common-sense solutions,'' she said.

Gathering in the county nursing home's auditorium, in an informal circle of folding chairs, Thompson ran down his list of ideas: asking the Iraqi parliament to vote on whether the United States should stay and then holding them to the result; using "medical diplomacy,'' sharing medical technology to win hearts and minds in an effort to build goodwill toward the United States; and a seven-step plan to reform a health-care system he says would otherwise go broke in seven years.

"That's why I'm running. I've got ideas,'' he told the group, adding, "I can win and be a darn good President. I'm loyal.''

That loyalty will pay off for the party, Thompson assured the group.

"A candidate has to build the party, and I'm still a legislator at heart,'' Thompson said as he prepared to leave. "If I win, I'll come back, and I will do everything to help build your party.''