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By Craig Crawford
Published: March 5, 2007

It was not an encouraging weekend for those who predict that conservative Republicans will overlook Rudy Giuliani’s moderate social views. Even the Newsweek poll showing the former New York City mayor on top of the GOP presidential race revealed the challenge he faces.

Despite leading his closest rival, Arizona Sen. John McCain, by 59 percent to 34 percent in a hypothetical matchup in the nationwide survey, one-third of Republican voters said they know “little or nothing” about him.

Moreover, half of the self-identified social conservatives say that his support for abortion rights will make them less likely to support him. Giuliani’s support for gun control and his opposition to a ban on same-sex marriage also bothered conservatives.

But the worst news for “America’s Mayor” was losing Saturday’s straw ballot to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney at the Conservative Political Action Conference, where Giuliani had hoped to disprove conventional wisdom that a social moderate cannot win the Republican nomination.


New York Times

Fair play!