August revealed an embarrassing family affair when Rudy Giuliani's teenage daughter Caroline expressed support for Democratic political rival Barack Obama on her Facebook profile. However, the incident certainly had no negative influence on her dad's Republican cohorts. Giuliani handled the episode like a gentleman, expressing only love for and pride in his daughter, and Caroline, a self-described "liberal," promptly removed herself from the member list of the "Barack Obama (One Million Strong for Barack)" group.

 

Republicans are more “enthusiastic” about Giuliani as a candidate than any other contender, says a new USA Today/Gallup poll, which also stated that he is both the most favorable nominee to represent the Grand Old Party (GOP) and the one most likely to garner votes in the general election.

 

Republicans reserve the right to change their minds. More than half (53 percent) state that they may choose a different candidate come voting time, while Democrats seem more sure of themselves, with well over half (57 percent) maintaining that they are certain they will vote for their favorite candidate in November ‘08.

 

Six years after the former New York City mayor’s worldwide recognition as the strong, resilient, dependable leader following the 9/11 tragedy, what are other keys to the popular Republican’s charisma?

 

“Quite a few folks have been surprised by what appears to be the growing popularity of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani among Republicans,” says Michal Ann Strahilevitz, Ph.D., marketing professor at Golden Gate University, San Francisco. “Multiple divorces, pro-choice, gay-tolerant, not a regular churchgoer, and Republicans are enthusiastic? What is going on?”

 

In contrast, conservative Mitt Romney is receiving the least enthusiastic support from fellow Republicans. Only one-quarter of Republican respondents will eagerly cast their vote for him, versus more than half (51 percent) stating they will enthusiastically vote for Giuliani should he win the GOP nomination.

 

Worse for Romney, thirty-eight percent of respondents stated that they would only vote for Romney to counter the opposing Democrat, and more than 1 in 10 (13 percent) would rather not vote at all than vote for him, should he win the nomination. Less than a third (27 percent) would vote for Giuliani just to oppose the Democrat nominee, and only 9 percent would rather stay home than vote for him. Could it be that Republicans are more liberal than given credit?

“Although many Republicans are socially conservative, not all of them are. So with the more moderate and socially liberal Republicans, Rudy is the obvious choice,” Strahilevitz tells demo dirt.

 

Strahilevitz, an expert on consumer behavior and branding, also acknowledges Giuliani’s approachability, something that Romney and a certain Democratic nominee may lack. ”Rudy scores very high on the ‘real-person’ scale. He seems like a guy you could get to know. He comes across as a person you might enjoy having lunch with. [Despite enjoying recent popularity] Hillary [Clinton] still needs to work on that…What would one chat about over lunch with Hillary? Would one ever have a chance of getting to know the real Hillary over lunch? Now ask that about Rudy Giuliani. We might not be seeing the real Rudy either, but we are more likely to feel as if we are.”

 

With Senator Clinton and the former Mayor Giuliani as the favorites, what could we expect in the upcoming race to the White House?

“Some Democrats have argued that in a race between Hillary and Rudy, Hillary could get the family-values vote. After all, she goes to church more often, and unlike Rudy, she has stayed in her marriage (as opposed to trading in more than one spouse). However, how approachable and ‘real’ a candidate seems may matter as much, if not more, than his or her actual character and lifestyle.”

 

Stahilevitz contends that while Giuliani may sometimes behave “like a salesman, people sense they are seeing something of his real personality too,” versus when “Hillary talks and even her fans wonder ‘what is she really thinking and feeling right now?’ She hides her emotions well.”

 

However, Strahilevitz maintains, “she is improving on this dimension as of late. More importantly, in a time of international crisis, seeming like a real person that would be fun lunch company may not be as critical as seeming smart, strong and competent on international affairs. Hillary scores well on all those scales. When we vote for president, we need to remember that few of us will get to have lunch the person we elect anyway.“ 

 

Giuliani’s major challenge will be to steadily maintain his sense of integrity, while preserving his flexiblity and popularity with a wide range of voters. “As of late, Rudi is losing his perceived authenticity by seeming to be a major flip-flopper on issues such as abortion and gay marriage,” explains Strahilevitz. “His bid to win the religious and socially conservative right may lose him some of his credibility as someone who is clear and consistent on what he stands for.”