Tests abound for Republicans with religious conservatives

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and his rivals for the Republican nomination will face a tough crowd when they address the religious conservatives at the Values Voter Summit starting Friday.

{mosads}“I think what we can expect is a lot of folks talking about how dissatisfied they are with the choices they have,” former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) said.

Giuliani’s positions on abortion and gay rights continue to dog him as he looks for support within the leadership of the religious conservative movement, and those leaders say they want to hear more from the former mayor this weekend than what they’ve heard before.

Giuliani is slated to speak to the summit, sponsored by the Family Research Council and a spate of other influential socially conservative groups, on Saturday.

“He knows that he’s going into a tough audience,” Santorum told The Hill. “I can’t imagine he thinks he’s going to go in there and be their champion because that’s not who he is.”

At a press conference Wednesday morning, after he accepted the endorsement of Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R), Giuliani said he would explain to the group that their similarities outweigh their difference.

“Let me explain to you that we’re in this together,” Giuliani said he will say to the group. “We shouldn’t be surprised that there are some differences. There are always differences, but I ask you to look at the whole candidate.”

Giuliani said he understands that some voters view his position on abortion as a deal breaker, stating, “I respect that.”
“I’m not going to get every vote,” Giuliani said.

Santorum, who is also addressing the summit, said “the best [Giuliani] can hope for” is to convince the religious conservatives he is not someone for them to be “overly concerned about.” Santorum has not endorsed a candidate in the race.

Scott Reed, a Republican strategist who was an adviser to former Sen. Robert Dole (R-Kan.), said Giuliani “has the most to lose because he’s so politically upside-down” with the religious conservatives.

Reed said Giuliani should heed the words of conservative leaders Tony Perkins and Gary Bauer, who said at a breakfast last week that it is not enough for Giuliani to simply say that he would appoint “strict constructionist” judges.

“I think he has to do more,” Reed said. “He has got to follow the advice of Perkins and Bauer, and have something to say. It’s really that simple. He has got to move the ball a little with conservative voters.”

A number of religious leaders have been scratching their heads as to how the former mayor continues to poll favorably with a plurality of church-going, Republican voters. And most think the bloom will fall off the rose once those voters become aware of Giuliani’s support of abortion rights and gay rights.

Giuliani’s aides are quick to note how the former mayor scored points with social conservatives nationwide for his efforts in expanding adoption services and cleaning up New York City.

Former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.) also faces challenges after James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family and the honoree of the event, recently questioned Thompson’s Christian credentials.

Thompson has enjoyed support from other evangelical leaders, and though analysts think he has to do more by way of specifics, they think he should have an easier time than others.

“Fred has received a great deal of support from important leaders like Gary Bauer and Richard Land,” Thompson spokeswoman Karen Hanretty said. “He looks forward to Friday’s speech and addressing an important constituency about his conservative record.”

Santorum, however, believes that Dobson’s comments and Thompson’s reluctance to embrace the evangelical community’s stance on marriage issues could hurt him with the crowd.

“His position on marriage is something of a concern,” Santorum said.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney continues to face questions about his Mormon faith, but evangelical leaders do not seem as concerned.

Analysts have long wondered if Romney would devote a speech to his faith like former President Kennedy did to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association about his Catholicism.

Romney aides said not to look for that speech when he addresses the summit, and Reed said that is a wise move.

“That’s not the place for that speech,” Reed said. “You embrace the issues, and you become acceptable.”

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has also had his problems with this constituency that was so important to electing President Bush twice.

Santorum said he didn’t “want to beat a dead horse,” but added that McCain has failed too many times to vote with conservative lawmakers on values-voter issues.

The candidates who face more opportunity than tests with this crowd are Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who many analysts thought would be able to seize the mantle of the socially conservative candidate in the race.

“This is their show,” Santorum said. “At some point, either Brownback or Huckabee has to take advantage.”

“Gov. Huckabee had a sweeping victory last month at the Values Voter debate and poll,” a Huckabee campaign aide said. “His optimistic, forward-looking message is clearly resonating with values voters all over America. He certainly is looking forward to the opportunity to share his message and connect with voters this weekend.”

Reed thinks this could be the turning point for any of the Republican candidates.

“Now’s where the rubber meets the road,” Reed said. “The values event is really the starting gun for those conservative voters.”