Rudy Giuliani won a major conservative endorsement Wednesday.
WASHINGTON (CNN) - Pat Robertson, the television evangelist and Christian Coalition leader, endorsed Rudy Giuliani for President at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday.
“The Giuliani campaign hopes this endorsement will help with inroads among evangelical Christians,” says CNN Chief National Correspondent John King.
It was Robertson’s 1988 presidential campaign that, while unsuccessful, cemented evangelical voters as a dominant force within the Republican Party.
Robertson has repeatedly praised Giuliani despite their major differences on social policy, such as abortion and gay marriage.
Both men say a friendship developed after a long conversation on a plane during a trip to Israel several years ago. Another thing both men have in common is that they are prostate cancer survivors.
Giuliani is the frontrunner in the national polls, but he trails in surveys in many of the early primary and caucus states, among them Iowa and South Carolina, where social conservative voters make up a major part of the Republican voting electorate.
Reacting to the Robertson endorsement, Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, one of Giuliani's chief rivals for the Republican nomination, said "you can't get them all." Romney also touted his recent endorsements by conservative activist Paul Weyrich and Bob Jones III, president of the evangelical Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina.
Related: Giuliani, McCain pick up key Christian conservative backing
– CNN's John King, Paul Steinhauser, and Peter Hamby
From CNN Politics
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Robertson's support of Guiliani is an indication of him being out of touch with mainstream Christians. Toughness on crime and fiscal conservatism are important, however virtues such as reconciliation and compassion are more relevant today with unrest in the middle east and Dharfur. Prior to 9/11 Mr. Guiliani has used police-state tactics on the citizens of New York City and has a checkered past as it relates to protecting individual's civil liberties. We would do well to thoroughly scrutinize Mr. Guiliani's approach to addressing the complex issues of global terrorism, diplomacy and the socio-economic future of this great nation. As a fellow Christian, I embrace Mr. Robertson as a brother, however I suspect that many other believers (myself included) will choose to differenciate themselves from his view on this matter.
Interesting. We'll see if the sheep do indeed follow the shepherd now I guess– even when the shepherd is making backroom/boardroom deals.
i think i would rather have the endorsement of castro, chavez, and bin ladin. they are not as fanatical as robertson
There is a political motive behind this...as with everything he does.
Once again, Pat Robertson dislpays his hypocrisy by endorsing Rudy, a friend of abortion and gay rights. Mr. Robertson may be a Christian in his own mind (personally, I think Jesus would side with the sodomites and un-wed mothers among other oppressed people), but he sells out his own professed beliefs with this endorsement. How does his flock feel about that? Or do they follow that blindly?
Giuliani was married to his second wife when he got his girlfriend pregnant. He got an abortion for her. Then he married her.
Robertson's support of Giuliani makes Robertson one of the biggest hypocrites on the planet.
OMG.....If Rudy wasn't DOA before, he darn sure is now.........Thanks, Pat.
Do you Hillary Clinton promise to faithfully execute the office, blah,blah.
Wow, Robertson just made it that much easier for everyone to know who not to vote for. Anything Robertson supports, the opposite is usually true. I wonder if the plane that their friendship bloomed on was one of Robertson's private planes bought with funds from ripping off suckers stupid enough to donate their $$ to his organization...err Robertson family bank account.
Rejoice! More hypocrisy from the so-called "Christian" right, Hallelujah! Uncle Pat is endorsing a known adulterer, working on his third marriage, who has a poor relationship with his children! Not to mention the fact that he is pro-choice on abortion and was one of the most fiscally irresponsible mayors of New York. After all the sanctimonious flatulence passed by Robertson, Falwell, Dobson and the like (especially during Bill Clinton's administration) I DO NOT EVER AGAIN want to hear any "born-again" lectures on family values.
Great news! This will kill Rudy's candidacy among educated independents and make the Democrat a shoe-in!
Good Luck with that. I don't think America is going to make the same mistake three times by electing an evangelical christian as president. Sorry but the evangelical crowd has displayed nothing but hate and vile. I will be so relieved to see this crowd of hypocrites and loons shoved to the back of the room.
Pat Robertson is an old loon whose endorsement means nothing. Anyone still listening to him is seriously out of touch with America.
Bad news for Hillary, real bad news......
Fundamentalists like Pat Robertson make me sick to my stomach.
This wont help Giulianis' chances, It will hurt him among non pat fans.
If I were Giuliani, I ask Robertson to take his endorsement back!
If Robertson truly believes in the hatred and intolerance he spreads, then he should have endorsed Romney.
Disgusting. I don't know why Christians think this war is at all justified or ethical. Dare we coin a new term: Christo-facsism?
With Pat Roberston's endorsement I am certain all the lemmings, er evangelicals, will flock to support and vote for Rudy. I guess all the other Republican presidential hopefuls can go home now.
Too bad Roberston picked a candidate who has nothing more to offer than, "I was mayor of New York City on 9-11" and "I'm the only Republican that can beat Hillary."
The hatemongering Christian fascists will support any one with a (R) after their name.
They are not a religion but an arm of the GOP.
I am confident that Giuliani will be the next president...I'm a moderate Republican...and having endorsements from the far right....isn't a good thing...
Well, at least Dobson still hates Giuliani, right?
Mr. Robertson might as well have handed the country over to Satan himself. Be prepared for the Good Lord to bring rapture after the November 2008 elections. He will not stand by as his country is given to heathens and savages, whether they be the adulterers or the Mormons.
This time it's Pat Robertson who needs to repent. Guiliani does not share the values of evengelical Christians, and there should be no compromise on the part of Christian leaders. Disliking the Democrats doesn't justify compromising with someone like Guiliani.
Well, that pretty much brings Giuliani's political career to an end. Like an awful lot of people, I want nothing to do with ANY candidate endorsed by nutjob Robertson.