yle ▁was ▁do gg ed ▁by ▁charges ▁that ▁Georgia ▁Thompson , ▁a ▁state ▁employee , ▁had ▁ste ered ▁a ▁travel ▁ag ency ▁contract ▁to ▁a ▁firm ▁whose ▁princip als ▁had ▁don ated ▁$ 2 0 , 0 0 0 ▁to ▁his ▁campaign . ▁Thompson ▁was ▁conv icted ▁in ▁federal ▁court ▁in ▁late ▁ 2 0 0 6 ▁and ▁sent enced ▁to ▁ 1 8 ▁months ▁in ▁prison . ▁The ▁conv iction ▁was ▁revers ed ▁by ▁the ▁ 7 th ▁Circ uit ▁Court ▁of ▁App e als ▁in ▁April ▁ 2 0 0 7 , ▁with ▁one ▁judge ▁calling ▁the ▁U . S . ▁Att orney ' s ▁case ▁" be yond ▁thin ". ▁ ▁Ret irement ▁ ▁Do yle ▁raised ▁about ▁$ 5 0 0 , 0 0 0 ▁for ▁a ▁campaign ▁fund ▁in ▁the ▁first ▁half ▁of ▁ 2 0 0 7 , ▁leading ▁political ▁anal yst s ▁to ▁think ▁he ▁would ▁have ▁been ▁finan cially ▁ready ▁to ▁run ▁for ▁a ▁third - term ▁as ▁governor . ▁In ▁a ▁speech ▁to ▁the ▁state ▁Democratic ▁Party ▁convention ▁on ▁July ▁ 6 , ▁ 2 0 0 7 , ▁he ▁said , ▁" And ▁at ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁these ▁four ▁years ▁of ▁working ▁together , ▁who ▁knows , ▁maybe ▁we ' ll ▁need ▁four ▁more ." ▁He ▁had ▁changed ▁his ▁campaign ▁website ▁to ▁Jim Do yle 2 0 1 0 . com , ▁which ▁had ▁been ▁seen ▁a ▁further ▁indic ation ▁of ▁a ▁re - e lection ▁run . ▁However , ▁on ▁August ▁