[garv]

A recent Newsweek poll shows Mayor Giuliani with a 25-point lead among Republican and Republican leaning voters and a 30-point lead among social conservatives. Mayor Giuliani has a wider lead among social conservatives than he does among Republicans in general. SOCIAL CONSERVATIVES already know who Rudy Giuliani is. In fact, more than 70% say they know “some or a lot” about him – these numbers are almost identical or better than other candidates in the race.

SOCIAL CONSERVATIVES are already more likely than Republicans in general to know the Mayor’s positions on key issues. Social conservatives are tuned in to the campaign and they like what they see in Mayor Giuliani.

That same Newsweek poll claiming 70% of social conservatives know some or a lot about Giuliani also showed that when asked specifically about his position on abortion more than 60% either misidentified him as pro-life or did not know his position. On the issues of gun control and gay marriage more than 80% misidentified his position or did not know.

Giuliani is benefiting from the assumption by many Republican voters that he is pro-life, pro-gun and pro-marriage protection. Those are typically the default positions of Republicans and is why 70% claim to know some or a lot about him when the actual responses to specific questions show they know very little.

That will change.

[Blackirish]

There are, of course, some voters that will never vote for Mayor Giuliani, and we know that we will see polls tighten. But the “when voters find out about Rudy’s record the sky will fall” notion is a myth.