Giuliani Notes: South Carolina Neck and Neck for Rudy and McCain

FOX News Poll: Giuliani, McCain Neck and Neck in South Carolina

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Arizona Sen. John McCain are the clear leaders among Republican hopefuls in the South Carolina primary. Former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney is the only other candidate to receive double-digit support, according to a new FOX News poll.

Opinion Dynamics Corp. conducted the telephone poll of 600 likely South Carolina Republican primary voters for FOX News from April 1 to April 3. There is a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points for results based on the entire sample.

The poll finds that Giuliani receives the backing of 26 percent and McCain 25 percent of South Carolina Republican primary voters. Romney has the support of 14 percent.

In the next tier of candidates, 5 percent of likely voters say they will support former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, which is most notable because voters volunteered his name even though he is not an announced candidate and therefore was not included in the list of vote choices read.

The poll is here.

Now, let’s look at the candidate deciding factors:

Now the issues for pro-life, pro-choice voters:

An interesting poll but when taken before the hoopla of a Fred Thompson candidacy and Rudy’s public funding of abortion FLAP.

The major question is: Is Rudy solid with 26% of the vote and will a Fred Thompson candidacy dilute his total or McCain’s?

Also, how will a Thompson run affect Romney’s numbers?

The voters of South Carolina will let us know in a few weeks.

Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani smiles as he listens to South Carolina Treasurer Thomas Ravenel throw his support behind the former New York City mayor’s campaign during a news conference Thursday, April 5, 2007, at the Statehouse in Columbia, S.C. Looking on far left is Barry Wynn.

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