Half of GOP Evangelicals Might Ditch Giuliani: Poll

55% of white evangelical Republicans would consider a third-party candidate if the 2008 presidential race comes down to Rudy Giuliani vs. Hillary Clinton, according to a new survey. The GOP frontrunner's views on abortion, gay rights and gun control are too liberal for the tastes of many conservative Christians; evangelicals make up about 34% of Republican and Republican-leaning voters.

Evangelical leaders met in September to discuss the possibility of launching a conservative third-party candidacy, but were unable to come to a consensus, the Associated Press reports. The survey also found that 50% of respondents identify as Democrats or are leaning Democratic, as opposed to 36% for the GOP—the biggest gap between the parties in almost 20 years. (More Rudy Giuliani stories.)