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Following Debate, Republican Pro-life Candidates Poised for Success

Romney seen to have bested Giuliani whose position is no longer secure

By John Connolly

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida, November 29, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In the latest installment of political drama in the U.S. presidential race, pro-abortion candidate Rudy Giuliani and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney attacked each other at the Republican Party's YouTube debate on Wednesday.

The eight Republican candidates gathered in Florida for the CNN-televised debate, and fielded questions submitted by people around the country on YouTube videos. The candidates were also able to submit videos in favor of themselves or attacking their opponents.

The candidates were confrontational from the outset, with Giuliani and Romney accusing each other of supporting illegal immigration. Giuliani, who leads in polls nationally, denied the accusation that he ran New York as a "sanctuary city" for illegal immigrants. Giuliani's accusation of Romney running a "sanctuary mansion" and hired illegal immigrants while serving as governor was booed down by the audience.

The stumble by the pro-abortion Giuliani has left the Republican race wide open and more or less balanced, with Romney seeming to carry the evening's debate. Romney received endorsements earlier this month from conservative leaders Paul Weyrich and Dr. Jack Willke, both of whom contend that Romney has sincerely converted to the pro-life cause. These endorsements didn't stop former Senator Fred Thompson, who received his own endorsement from National Right to Life on November 13, from claiming at the debate that Romney has not fully converted from his previously pro-abortion stance.

Thompson lost the show to Romney and former Governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee, who is in hot pursuit for winning the Iowa Caucus. Representative Ron Paul and Senator John McCain both argued over Paul's isolationist policy, with Paul appearing the stronger candidate of the two by the debate's conclusion.

The debate leaves many possibilities open for pro-life voters. Ron Paul, who is pro-life and libertarian, has raised large portions of his campaign funding through internet support and is predicted to be a strongly upcoming stealth candidate. Mike Huckabee, firmly against same-sex unions and abortion, has risen dramatically in recent polls and shone at the debate. Mitt Romney appears to have stolen the front-runner spot from Giuliani, but the extent of the debate's damage to his campaign remains to be seen. Thompson, who opposes abortion but holds an ambiguous position on euthanasia, is running in second place in Iowa polls and struggling to infuse his campaign with energy down the stretch.

Giuliani's position is no longer secure, and Romney gave his campaign the assurance that it needed: the presence of conviction to his conversion claims. He conveyed an image of a convinced pro-life candidate, something Giuliani's obscure comments about conscience and freedom have been unable to do. The pro-life candidates are poised to take the nomination away from him when it comes time for the primaries in January.

See previous LifeSiteNews coverage:

Paul Weyrich Convinced Mitt Romney "has sincerely converted" to pro-life side
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/nov/07110805.html

Giuliani Outrages Conservatives With "Get Beyond" Abortion Snipe
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/apr/07041705.html

Despite Past Statements, Former Gov. and Presidential Hopeful Romney Says He is Pro-Life
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/jan/07010408.html ;

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