Giuliani Gets Thompson's Endorsement: Backing Comes Despite Differing Abortion Stances

Oct 13, 02:13 AM

Current Headlines: By Craig Gilbert, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Oct. 13--In endorsing Republican Rudy Giuliani for president Friday, Tommy Thompson invoked a favorite theme of the New Yorker's campaign, saying he wanted someone who could "take on Hillary Clinton and win."

Thompson's endorsement, delivered in person on a campaign swing in South Carolina, came two months after the former Wisconsin governor dropped out of the presidential race following a sixth-place finish in the Iowa straw poll.

While endorsements are typically quite marginal to presidential races, this one gives Giuliani the support of a former opponent in the race, the biggest GOP name in a swing state with a February primary and an anti-abortion Republican at a time when Giuliani's support for abortion rights has some social conservatives threatening to bolt the party.

But the onetime Bush cabinet secretary has never made abortion a high priority and has always urged the party to be welcoming to abortion rights supporters.

"People say, well, he's not conservative enough," Thompson said of Giuliani in Charleston, S.C., on Friday. "I say, well, he reduced welfare by 50 percent, he reduced murder by 66 percent, he's an individual that changed, transformed the city of New York. He reduced taxes; he cut spending."

Welfare reform ties

Bob Kasten, the former U.S. senator who is chairman of Giuliani's Wisconsin effort, said Thursday that Thompson's endorsement would be helpful in the state's Feb. 19 GOP primary, though there's a good chance that the nominating fight will be effectively over by then.

Kasten said Thompson could be particularly helpful in a general election in Wisconsin, which was the closest state in the country in 2004.

On the other hand, even during Thompson's 14 years as governor, he was unable to deliver the state for a GOP nominee.

As for the abortion issue, "the fact that Tommy is pro-life and now he's decided to endorse Giuliani shows the Giuliani tent has continued to grow, and we're growing to the right, we're growing to the conservative side," said Kasten, who added that Thompson's experience as health secretary under President Bush also makes him an asset to Giuliani as a policy adviser.

Thompson made an indirect allusion to abortion Friday when he posed the question: "Who do I want in the White House to appoint federal judges, ladies and gentlemen? Do I want Hillary Clinton, or do I want Rudy Giuliani?"

Despite differences on abortion, Giuliani has sought to signal to social conservatives that he would appoint judges they would be happy with.

Both Thompson and Giuliani on Friday cited welfare reform as a common cause.

In fact, the man who directed Thompson's welfare-to-work program in Wisconsin in the mid-1990s, Jason Turner, later served as Giuliani's welfare commissioner in New York City -- one of several connections Thompson has to Giuliani and his camp.

"We borrowed his playbook. We even borrowed some of his people, remember?" Giuliani said. "His endorsement means a great deal politically, and his ideas will mean a great deal substantively to really developing our campaign beyond where it is even today."

"I started welfare reform, and Mayor Giuliani picked it up and did it better," said Thompson, according to a transcript of the event provided by the Giuliani campaign.

Thompson did not grant an interview Friday.

Several people close to Thompson in Wisconsin are backing Giuliani, but some are backing other Republicans, such as former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

Midwest credibility

As part of the endorsement announcement, Thompson was named national co-chairman of the Giuliani campaign.

Iowa Republican Steve Grubbs, who was Thompson's top campaign strategist during his short-lived presidential bid, said Friday that "Tommy Thompson has credibility in the Midwest, and that's what Rudy Giuliani needs."

Thompson made it clear Friday that his personal relationship with Giuliani remained good while the two were opposing candidates.

"Even though I've known Rudy for a long time . . . throughout a presidential campaign, you know, it's a little stressful and behind the scenes, you know, you get a chance to see who's nice and who's not, who plays by the rules and who doesn't," Thompson said.

Giuliani is holding a fund-raiser Thursday in Milwaukee. It was unclear Friday whether Thompson would be at that event.

As for why Friday's endorsement was rolled out in South Carolina and not Wisconsin or neighboring Iowa, Giuliani officials cited scheduling reasons.

Speaking to the South Carolina crowd at Giuliani's event, Thompson joked, "I'm Tommy Thompson, I was a candidate for president of the United States, and I'm sure most of you didn't even know me."

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