Romney Campaign Press Release - Research Briefing: A Fractured Republican Party

"Giuliani's comparative weakness among conservatives looks linked to his past support for legal abortion and gay civil unions. Overall, half of leaned Republicans say they're less likely to support him given this issue; among conservatives that rises to 60 percent, nearly twice its level among moderate and liberal Republicans." (Gary Langer, "A Softening For Giuliani As The '08 Race Progresses," ABC News, 6/4/07)

A Giuliani Candidacy Cannot Unify The Republican Coalition And Would Alienate Social Conservatives:

Mayor Giuliani Says He Looks Forward To Leading A "Revitalized" Republican Party. MAYOR RUDY GIULIANI: "And I welcome the opportunity to win this election... leading a revitalized, 50-state Republican Party into the White House." (Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Remarks As Prepared For Delivery, Tampa, FL, 12/15/07)

But A Giuliani Candidacy Would Pull Apart The Conservative Coalition That Defines The Republican Party. "Uniting the conservative coalition is not enough to win a presidential election, but it is a prerequisite for building on that coalition. Rudolph Giuliani did extraordinary work as mayor of New York and was inspirational on 9/11. But he and Mike Huckabee would pull apart the coalition from opposite ends: Giuliani alienating the social conservatives, and Huckabee the economic (and foreign-policy) conservatives." (Editorial, "Romney For President," National Review, 12/11/07)

The Republican Party Is Pro-Life, But Mayor Giuliani Is Pro-Choice:

The 2004 Republican Platform Proclaimed The Unborn Child's Fundamental Right To Life. "As a country, we must keep our pledge to the first guarantee of the Declaration of Independence. That is why we say the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed." ("2004 Republican Party Platform: A Safer World and a More Hopeful America," The Republican National Committee, 2004; www.gop.com/)

- But Mayor Giuliani Says, "I Believe In A Woman's Right To Choose." MAYOR RUDY GIULIANI: "Where I stand on abortion is, I oppose it. I don't like it. I hate it. I think abortion is something that, as a personal matter, I would advise somebody against. However, I believe in a woman's right to choose. I think you have to ultimately not put a woman in jail for that, and I think ultimately you have to leave that to a disagreement of conscience and you have to respect the choice that somebody makes." (Fox News' "Hannity And Colmes," 2/5/07)

The 2004 Republican Platform Heralded The Partial-Birth Abortion Ban. "We praise Republicans in Congress for passing, with strong bipartisan support, a ban on the inhumane procedure known as partial birth abortion. And we applaud President Bush for signing legislation outlawing partial birth abortion and for vigorously defending it in the courts." ("2004 Republican Party Platform: A Safer World and a More Hopeful America," The Republican National Committee, 2004; www.gop.com/)

- However, Mayor Giuliani Said He Would Have Voted To Preserve Partial-Birth Abortions. RUSSERT: "A banning of late-term abortions, so-called 'partial-birth abortions'--you're against that?" GIULIANI: "I'm against it in New York, because in New York..." RUSSERT: "Well, if you were a senator, would you vote with the president or against the president?" GIULIANI: "I would vote to preserve the option for women. I think that choice is a very difficult one. It's a very, very--it's one in which people of conscious have very, very different opinions. I think the better thing for America to do is to leave that choice to the woman, because it affects her probably more than anyone else." (NBC's "Meet The Press," 2/6/00)

The 2004 Republican Platform Called For "Legislative And Judicial Protection" Against Those Who Would Perform Abortions. "[We] we say the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed. ... Our purpose is to have legislative and judicial protection of that right against those who perform abortions. ... We support the appointment of judges who respect traditional family values and the sanctity of innocent human life." ("2004 Republican Party Platform: A Safer World and a More Hopeful America," The Republican National Committee, 2004; www.gop.com/)

- Yet, Mayor Giuliani Agreed That Roe v. Wade Is A "Good, Constitutional Law." ABC's GEORGE WILL: "Mrs. Clinton is trying to find what other people have difficulty discerning, which is differences between the two of you on the subject of abortion. Let me ask you two questions. I know you support a woman's right to choose. Do you think Roe vs. Wade is good, constitutional law?" GIULIANI: "Yes. I believe--I believe it is. I had in the past doubts about it before I ran for office. As I focused on the reality of what a woman has to face and the choice she has to make, the position that I felt was the correct one in a portalistic society is that we should leave that difficult choice ultimately to a woman." (ABC's "This Week," 2/6/00)

The Republican Party Supports Constitutionally Protecting Marriage, But Mayor Giuliani Does Not:

The 2004 Republican Platform Advocated Defining Marriage As A "Special Union Between One Man And One Woman." "We believe, and the social science confirms, that the well-being of children is best accomplished in the environment of the home, nurtured by their mother and father anchored by the bonds of marriage. We further believe that legal recognition and the accompanying benefits afforded couples should be preserved for that unique and special union of one man and one woman which has historically been called marriage." ("2004 Republican Party Platform: A Safer World and a More Hopeful America," The Republican National Committee, 2004; www.gop.com/)

- But Mayor Giuliani Opposed President Bush's Call For A Constitutional Amendment Banning Gay Marriage. "Rudy Giuliani came out yesterday against President Bush's call for a ban on gay marriage. The former mayor, who Vice President Cheney joked the other night is after his job, vigorously defended the President on his post-9/11 leadership but made clear he disagrees with Bush's proposal to rewrite the Constitution to outlaw gays and lesbians from tying the knot. 'I don't think it's ripe for decision at this point,' he said on NBC's 'Meet the Press.' 'I certainly wouldn't support [a ban] at this time,' added Giuliani, who lived with a gay Manhattan couple when he moved out of Gracie Mansion during his nasty divorce." (James Gordon, "Rudy Opposes Gay Nups Ban," [New York] Daily News, 3/8/04)

- Additionally, Giuliani Signed Civil Unions Into Existence In New York City. MAYOR GIULIANI: "I signed the law in New York City that created civil unions and I signed the second one that strengthened it, because I believe that we shouldn't discriminate against gays and lesbians." (NBC's "Meet The Press," 8/29/04)

Conservatives Rightfully Question Mayor Giuliani's Ability To Champion Socially-Conservative Causes:

In A Survey, More Than Half Of Leaned Republicans Said That They Would Be Less Likely To Vote For Giuliani Because Of His Positions On Abortion And Civil Unions. "Giuliani's comparative weakness among conservatives looks linked to his past support for legal abortion and gay civil unions. Overall, half of leaned Republicans say they're less likely to support him given this issue; among conservatives that rises to 60 percent, nearly twice its level among moderate and liberal Republicans." (Gary Langer, "A Softening For Giuliani As The '08 Race Progresses," ABC News, 6/4/07)

- Of These Voters, Two-Thirds Said There Was No Chance They Would Vote For Him. "Further, among those less likely to support Giuliani because of these issues, two-thirds (67 percent) say there's no chance they'd vote for him -- up from 49 percent earlier this year. Again, conservatives are twice as likely as moderate or liberal Republicans to rule out Giuliani entirely on the basis of abortion and gay marriage." (Gary Langer, "A Softening For Giuliani As the '08 Race Progresses," ABC News, 6/4/07)

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins Will Not Support Giuliani. "'Speaking as a private citizen, no, no, I could not support (Giuliani),' said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, which has about a half-million members. 'The 20 years I've been involved in politics, the life issue has been at the very top. How could I turn my back on that?'" (David Paul Kuhn, "Conservatives Would Bolt GOP Over Rudy," The Politico, 6/11/07)

- Perkins Said That He Would Vote For A Third Party Candidate. "Perkins said that should Giuliani win the nomination, he would vote for a third-party candidate who reflected his values. 'It wouldn't be the first time,' Perkins added in an interview last week." (David Paul Kuhn, "Conservatives Would Bolt GOP Over Rudy," The Politico, 6/11/07)

"Focus On The Family Founder James Dobson Said Simply That He 'Cannot, And Will Not, Vote For Rudy Giuliani In 2008. It Is An Irrevocable Decision.'" (Kevin Baker, "A Fate Worse Than Bush," Harper's Magazine, 8/14/07)

Richard Land Said That He Would Not Vote For Giuliani If He Were The Republican Nominee. "Like Perkins, Land has warned that he would not vote for a Republican ticket in 2008 if it were led by Giuliani. Others did not go that far, even as they made plain their wish that Giuliani be weeded out in the primaries." (David Paul Kuhn, "Conservatives Would Bolt GOP Over Rudy," The Politico, 6/11/07)

- Land Said That He Would Not Vote For A Pro-Choice Candidate. "Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, was even more definitive in an interview last month. 'I'm not going to vote for a pro-choice candidate, period,' said Land, whose organization reports to have 16 million members." (David Paul Kuhn, "Conservatives Would Bolt GOP Over Rudy," The Politico, 6/11/07)