Conservatives Consider Third Party Challenge to Rudy

Christian conservatives -- a key part of the GOP base since 1980 -- threaten to mount a third party challenge for the White House if Rudy Giuliani wins the Republican Presidential nomination. The group qualifies their opposition by saying they would only "consider" the idea. But the New York Times reports it's a clear warning that Christian conservatives will not support a pro-abortion rights candidate at the head of the Republican ticket:

The group making the threat, which came together Saturday in Salt Lake City during a break-away gathering during a meeting of the secretive Council for National Policy, includes Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family, who is perhaps the most influential of the group, as well as Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, the direct mail pioneer Richard Viguerie and dozens of other politically-oriented conservative Christians, participants said.

Mr Giuliani still receives a plurality of support from white evangelical voters in a recent poll from the Pew Research Center. But leaders in the Christian conservative movement warn his nomination could splinter the party. (NYT)