Will Winburn endorsement help Giuliani?

Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani met with former Cincinnati Councilman Charlie Winburn at U.S. Bank Arena on Sept. 7. (Photo courtesy Winburn campaign.)

Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's endorsement of Charlie Winburn in the Cincinnati mayoral primary didn't help Winburn much.

Now, the New York media is asking whether the endorsement will help -- or hurt -- Giuliani.

Liberal national blogs jumped on the story immediately, seizing on Winburn's statement in his 1989 book that "only born-again believers" should be elected to public office.

Giuliani, of course, is a liberal Republican who supports gay rights and abortion rights. Winburn opposes gay rights and abortion.

Last week the Forward, a New York-based Jewish newspaper, wrote:

Giuliani spokeswoman Sunny Mindel told the Forward last Friday that the former mayor stood by his endorsement. "The mayor is very comfortable with Mr. Winburn's explanations," Mindel said....

Democrats said that the endorsement appeared to reflect naivete on Giuliani's part.

"I would hope [Giuliani] didn't know about this," said the chairman of the Hamilton County Democratic Party, Timothy Burke. "I would ask him before he gets involved in Cincinnati politics that he understands what he is getting involved in."

Julius Kassar, a Jewish Cincinnati-area GOP activist, criticized Winburn's 1989 statements: "If a guy believes you have to be a Christian conservative to hold political office, the guy's nuts."

Political observers said that Giuliani was trying to curry favor with conservative voters in advance of an expected 2008 presidential bid.

"He's trying to position himself as a social conservative around the country, to earn credentials to offset his history of being pro-abortion pro-immigration and pro-gay marriage," said Hank Sheinkopf, a Democratic political consultant. He added, "People in New York who supported him would not be happy."

The Forward story has given the Winburn-Giuliani connection new life on the national blogs. And now, the conservatives are asking their own questions.

Eric Pfeiffer writes on the conservative blog at National Review Online and asks, "Winburn ended up placing third in the September 13th primary. The question is, were Giuliani's intentions sincere or strictly political?"

Ed Hornick writes on Newsday's politics blog, "Is this the first sign of the former mayor trying to secure the GOP conservative base for an '08 presidential run?"