WASHINGTON &#8212 Tommy Thompson was hurt by a failure to separate himself from a crowded Republican field with a signature issue, and he was unable to compensate with strong fundraising, according to interviews with analysts and a top campaign official.

Thompson, a former Wisconsin governor and U.S. Health and Human Services secretary, dropped out of the presidential campaign after finishing a disappointing sixth place in the Iowa Republican Party Straw Poll Aug. 11. He had banked on a first- or second-place showing to boost his campaign.

“There was no one particular message that he was carrying that somebody else didn’t have as well,” said Dennis Goldford, a political science professor at Drake University in Des Moines. He said that Thompson lacked a “signature issue.”

Steve Grubbs, Thompson’s Iowa-based senior national adviser, agreed.

“He is a broad-based candidate, and feels strongly about a number of issues,” Grubbs said. “Having said that, if you can raise the money necessary, you can overcome that. But you either have to have a signature issue that motivates a core group of volunteers, or enough money to overcome being more of a generalist.”

Grubbs said that Thompson got off to a late start and his fundraising faltered early.

“By the time the governor had gotten into the race, many of the top Republican fundraisers were already signed on with other campaigns, and that became a real challenge for us,” he said. “The biggest mistake we made was not getting the fundraising in place early on.”

As of June 30, the latest reporting period, Thompson had raised under $1 million, far less than candidates such as Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney. Thompson loaned his campaign more than $100,000, and doesn’t expect to recoup that, Grubbs said.

Thompson called himself “a reliable conservative,” but Franklin said that wasn’t a particularly sexy motto. And Thompson failed to get credit for his work pioneering welfare reform and school choice, Franklin said.

“Thompson, who has an excellent resume on paper, never managed to convince voters in Iowa or party operatives or analysts that he was really ready for prime time,” Franklin said. “He didn’t help himself with debate performances that didn’t stand out in a positive way.”

At a debate, Thompson said an employer should be allowed to fire someone for being gay. Later, Thompson – who has lost hearing in one ear – claimed he misheard the question because the hearing-aid battery for his other ear had gone dead.

Earlier in the campaign, Thompson apologized for telling a Jewish group that earning money is “part of the Jewish tradition.”

“All the candidates have misspoken at times,” Grubbs said. “You can misspeak and if your poll numbers remain strong, then people forget about it pretty quickly.”

Ray Hoffmann, chairman of the Iowa Republican Party, said he was surprised at Thompson’s showing at the straw poll.

“Tommy Thompson really worked hard in the state of Iowa,” Hoffmann said. “He was here every week.”

“I liked him,” Hoffmann added. “He’s a down-to-earth, everyday individual.”

Thompson said in a statement that he will return to private sector and nonprofit work after taking a brief time off.