Giuliani's Conservative Support Tenuous

WASHINGTON -- Rudy Giuliani shares the lead for the conservative vote in the Republican presidential race, despite the New Yorker's three marriages and moderate views on abortion, guns and gays.

Yet a close look suggests his support from the GOP's potent right wing is less than meets the eye, according to recent Associated Press-Ipsos polls.

Conservatives, evangelical and born-again voters, and strongly loyal Republicans who back Giuliani tend to be less conservative, less religiously active and less supportive of President Bush than those favoring Fred Thompson, Giuliani's chief rival so far, the surveys show.

That leaves Giuliani, the Republican front-runner, with a tenuous hold on the most intensely conservative voters long considered his party's core.

Giuliani and Thompson are each backed by about one-fifth of conservatives, with an equal share undecided and the rest spread among other candidates. Thompson has a slight edge over Giuliani _ with undecideds close by _ among right-leaning voters like Southerners, strongly loyal Republicans and people who attend religious services at least weekly.

With state primaries and caucuses less than three months away, this lack of conservative consensus creates an opportunity for Thompson and others to Giuliani's right.

"I'm concerned about his ability to hold to some conservative things I value" like opposing abortion, Sheryl Tolson, 45, a teacher and conservative from Elk Grove, Calif., said of Giuliani. Her choice is former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

Ardent conservatives can be difference-makers in elections because of their numbers and activism, especially in Republican primaries.

While Giuliani's strongest appeal is to centrists, the former New York mayor hopes to maximize conservative support. He and other GOP presidential contenders will address a convention of Christian conservatives in Washington this weekend.

Danny Hyde, 48, a conservative from Canton, Ga., typifies the right's fragmentation.

The real estate broker said he likes Thompson and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee because they have "the pulse of the common man" and for their conservative views. Yet he may back Giuliani, whom he thinks has the best shot of defeating Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., who sits atop the Democratic field.

"It's still a tough call," said Hyde.