Giuliani Tries to Reassure Conservatives

Republican Presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani walks across the stage at the Family Research Council's Washington Values Voter Summit on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2007 in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf) (Kevin Wolf - AP)

"We do not have the right to move the standards of God to meet cultural norms. We need to move the cultural norms to meet God's standards," he said, bringing the crowd to its feet.

Their GOP rivals, in speeches Friday, courted the conservative religious voters, who have a tradition of influence in elections.

In the straw poll Romney came in first with 1,595 votes, followed closely by Huckabee with 1,565. Significantly, however, Huckabee won more than half of the 953 voters who voted at the conference; Romney received 99 votes among conference attendees.

People who paid a nominal $1 fee to join the council were eligible to vote in the online poll, which began in August.

Romney has been assiduously courting social conservatives, trying to erase doubts over his Mormon faith and his past support of abortion rights.

For Giuliani, his speech was an important milestone in his search for the Republican presidential nomination. Giuliani supports abortion rights and has moderate views on immigration and gay rights.

"People of good conscience reach different conclusions about whether abortions should be legal in certain circumstances," Giuliani said while vowing to increase adoptions.

"We may not always agree," he said. "I don't always agree with myself. But I will give you reason to trust me."

Giuliani did not mention the subject of gay marriage in his remarks. Gary Bauer, a Christian activist and former presidential candidate, said Giuliani should have addressed the issue. But, he added, Giuliani helped himself by offering assurances on other fronts.

Late last month, a group of social conservatives meeting in Salt Lake City agreed to vote for a minor-party candidate if both the Democratic and Republican nominees back abortion rights. There also was talk of launching a third party, but no consensus emerged.

Bauer said Saturday that creating a third party would be the equivalent of "political suicide." Those still interested in a third party met privately again Saturday in Washington, but the gathering was sparsely attended, according to two people with knowledge of the meeting.

Focus on the Family founder James Dobson, speaking Saturday night at a dinner in his honor, said he too believes starting a third party would fail. He pledged to vote for a minor-party candidate if both Democrats and Republicans nominate a candidate who supports abortion rights.

While Dobson said it was too early to talk about choosing "the lesser of two evils" _ he didn't mention Giuliani or any candidate by name _ he made clear he would not make that choice.

"The only problem with that is it when you choose the lesser of two evils, you've still chosen evil," he said. "And that leads to compromise, and I tell you, I can't do that."

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AP Religion Writer Eric Gorski contributed to this report.

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