U.S. & World

• Nov 7, 2007 10:23 am US/Eastern
• Digg | Facebook | E-mail

  Close WindowE-mail This Page

  Pat Robertson Endorses Rudy Giuliani

  Required fields are marked with an asterisk(*)

  ---

  • Recipient E-mail:* 
  • • Your Name:* 
    • Your E-mail:* 
  • Add a Message:
  •   Send me a copy of this e-mail.

  • Type the characters in this picture:* Click here to refresh with new letters

  ---

  The information you provide will be used only to send the requested e-mail and will not be used to send any other e-mail communications. Read more in our Privacy Policy

  Send E-mail

  | Print

Pat Robertson Endorses Rudy Giuliani

MANCHESTER, N.H. (CBS) ― Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson, a prominent Christian leader and social conservative, endorsed former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani for the Republican nomination for president.

Robertson made the announcement at a news conference in Washington this morning.

CBS News senior political editor Vaughn Ververs said Robertson's endorsement should provide a boost for Giuliani's campaign.

"Conservatives suspicious of Giuliani's positions on issues like abortion and gun control may give the former mayor another look as a result of Robertson's support," Ververs said. "Many other conservative leaders have endorsed other candidates and, as long as they do not coalesce among one single candidate, that's good news for Giuliani."

The endorsement is a blow to rival Mitt Romney, who has been making inroads with the powerful network of social conservative leaders. Romney recently announced that Paul Weyrich and Bob Jones III were on board with his candidacy, and he had been seeking Robertson's support.

The former New York mayor backs abortion rights and gay rights, positions that put him in conflict with GOP orthodoxy, and has been trying to convince cultural conservatives to overlook their differences with him on those issues. That makes the support of a high-profile religious conservative like Robertson a particular boon.

Robertson, who unsuccessfully ran for president in 1988, founded the Christian Broadcasting Network, the Christian Coalition and Regent University in Virginia Beach.

The announcement comes soon after word that Sen. Sam Brownback, a Kansas conservative and favorite of evangelical Christians, will endorse his former Republican presidential rival John McCain, according to GOP officials.

Republican officials said Brownback will announce his support for McCain on Wednesday in Dubuque, Iowa, and then travel with the candidate to campaign in two other cities in the state. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid publicly pre-empting the announcement.

(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)