Tom Walsh, who’s hosting a fundraiser Tuesday night at his Ladue home for former Sen./current actor Fred Thompson, says he’s thrilled.

“I felt like he offers the best leadership, the best message and the ability to communicate to the American people,” Walsh said.

Walsh is a partner in the law firm of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal. He says he first met Thompson in the 1990s while lobbying on health care issues. Walsh said he was introduced through a business partner, former U.S. Rep. Van Hilleary of Tennessee.

After seeing Thompson on Fox News this spring, Walsh said he began making calls to indicate his support and willingness to help.

“My wife and I got excited about it and wrote out checks,” he said. The couple’s daughter, Katie Walsh, now is working on Thompson’s finance team.

Walsh said that the couple has not donated to any other presidential candidate. When asked, he said that only one other piques his interest: former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. Walsh said he likes Huckabee’s stance as a social and fiscal conservative.