Mar 23, 2007 5:46 pm US/Pacific
The Judy Factor: Will Revelations Hurt Rudy's Run?
Word On Street Focuses On Wife's Secret Marriage
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani and his third wife Judith Nathan. (File)
CBS
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Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani campaigns for Massachusetts gubernatorial hopeful Mitt Romney October 8, 2002 in Boston, Massachusetts.
Douglas McFadd/Getty Images
There are new concerns for the Rudy Giuliani presidential campaign.
As the nation learns that not only is Rudy on his third wife, but that his current mate, Judith Nathan, is on her third husband, the question on everyone's mind is what effect will that have on his campaign?
Her role in Rudy's campaign is so important that Judith got to introduce the man of the hour at a glittering New York fundraiser last week.
"I would like to introduce my teammate my favorite guy in the ballpark," she told the crowd.
On Friday she took center stage again -- on the front page of the city's tabloids -- with a planted news leak that Rudy is actually her third husband -- not her second. She has a secret first marriage she's never talked about.
Political consultant Joseph Mercurio said Team Giuliani's strategy of leaking the story to the newspapers makes sound political sense.
"It's early," Mercurio said. "Getting these stories out early makes them less important. It's out. It's a story. It's run. It's now old news. I think it's a smart strategy to get negatives out early."
But will it affect how people vote? The opinion on the streets of New York is mixed.
"To me, their private lives are separate from what they do politically," one person said.
Added another New Yorker: "As long as he's OK with her and she's OK with it I don't understand why the rest of us wouldn't be."
But on the other hand, many city residents feel like they are being deceived.
"If you can't handle your family it's hard for me to trust you with the country," one said.
Still others said the Rudy they thought they knew may be a different person altogether. That sentiment seems especially prevalent to people from outside New York.
"I don't think anymore that would matter to me," one out-of-towner said. "What would would be the sincerity of the person's stand on issues like Iraq."
Since pundits say it's best to get the negatives out early, the question is whether Rudy has any more skeletons in his closet.
If there are, experts say, we'll probably be hearing about them sooner rather than later.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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