Giuliani to Affirm Abortion-Rights Support

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani plans to offer unambiguous support for abortion rights in the coming days, The New York Times reported.

Giuliani, who has sent conflicting signals on the issue as he pursues the Republican presidential nomination, plans to affirm his support for abortion rights in public forums, television appearances and interviews, the newspaper said, despite potential negative consequences for his campaign.

Giuliani’s campaign is planning to de-emphasize early primaries in states in which abortion rights opponents are particularly influential, the Times said. Instead, they plan to focus on states such as California, New York and New Jersey — which are scheduled to hold elections Feb. 5, and would be expected to be more receptive than Iowa and South Carolina to a pro-abortion rights message.

The Giuliani campaign has struggled to deal with reaction to the candidate’s uncertain responses on abortion-related questions at last week’s Republican presidential candidate debate in California. Giuliani’s aides said the response exposed him to criticism from abortion critics, while threatening to undermine his image as a leader who does not equivocate on difficult issues, the newspaper reported.