Pro-Abortion Rudy Giuliani Leads Republicans in Iowa Despite Pro-Life Voters
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
August 23, 2006
Des Moines, IA (LifeNews.com) — Pro-abortion former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani leads all potential 2008 Republican presidential candidates in Iowa in a new poll taken by the Des Moines Register despite an overwhelming majority of GOPers saying they are pro-life.
The newspaper surveyed likely Republican causucs-goers and found that Giuliani leads with the support of 30 percent of Republicans.
The poll found Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who has a fairly pro-life voting record and has visited the state twice in recent months, the choice of 17 percent while Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee, who mostly votes pro-life, received 6.5 percent.
According to the survey, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who recently said he is pro-life, had 4.5 percent, Virginia Sen. George Allen, who has a pro-life voting record, had 3.5 percent, pro-abortion New York Gov. George Pataki had 3.3 percent and pro-life Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee tied with pro-life Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback with 2.5 percent.
Observers say the poll is likely just a barometer of name recognition and that the numbers will be significantly different as the 2008 caucus vote gets closer. That’s supported by the fact that 29 percent of those polled said they were undecided.
Giuliani and other candidates that aren’t sufficiently pro-life may find it hard to draw support from Iowa voters in much the same way failed presidential candidates like Arlen Specter, Pete Wilson and others never generated traction.
That’s because the Register poll found 70 percent of Republican voters declared themselves pro-life on the issue of abortion while just 30 percent said they supported it.
Meanwhile, two-thirds of those polled said they would be unlikely to support a candidate whose position on abortion differs from their own.
The survey, conducted Aug. 14-15 by Victory Enterprises, has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.
