Former New York Mayor Giuliani Endorses Meg Whitman For Governor
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Locked in a fight for centrist voters, Meg Whitman turned to fellow Republican moderate Rudy Giuliani on Sunday to help make her case that she will revive the California economy and transform Sacramento by slashing government spending and lowering taxes.
Giuliani, the former New York City mayor and 2008 Republican presidential candidate, told cheering Whitman supporters in a Los Angeles hotel that electing Democrat Jerry Brown would be a step backward in a state struggling with double-digit unemployment and a financial crisis in state government. He depicted Brown as a vestige of failed Democratic policies.
"You want to go back to those eight years?" Giuliani asked, referring to Brown's years as governor from 1975 to 1983. He praised Whitman's business credentials—she's a former chief executive at eBay—and called her "the right person at the right time for the kinds of challenges California faces."
Giuliani took a beating in the 2008 presidential race, but he was an early leader in the California primary. The mayor known for his leadership after the World Trade Center attacks is a fixture on the Republican campaign circuit, and he is making stops this week on behalf of candidates in several western states.
Giuliani endorsed Whitman last year. But he wasn't Whitman's favorite in the presidential race: She was an economic adviser to candidate Mitt Romney and, later, a co-chairman for GOP nominee John McCain's campaign.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
