Giuliani surmounts expectations in N.H.

HAMPTON FALLS, N.H. -- The guests at Thomas and Ellen Christo 's home on New Hampshire's Seacoast on Monday night knew Rudolph W. Giuliani's history well -- his three marriages, his support for abortion rights, even recent news of a federal investigation targeting his former business partner and police commissioner, Bernard Kerik .

But as Giuliani walked under red, white, and blue bunting to arrive at the first New Hampshire house party of his presidential campaign, camera flashes popped and the crowd brimmed with anticipation. When the former mayor of New York whipped off his glasses, stood in front of an American flag, and pronounced himself ready to take the fight to the terrorists, people nodded .

"If I was a terrorist, I'd be really nervous of Rudy Giuliani," said Ron Vars of East Kingston, who owns a telecommunications brokerage. "I don't care about this personal stuff; he's a leader. I have an ex-wife. I don't have two of them, but that's OK."

Political observers have long predicted that Giuliani's early strong support in the 2008 Republican presidential primary would dissipate as conservative voters learned about his past support for gun control, gay rights, and abortion rights. In addition, the thinking went, some conservatives would be repelled to learn of his sometimes chaotic personal life and the tarnished records of some of his business associates.

Yet as details about Giuliani's life and record have emerged in politically astute New Hampshire, many voters say their support remains firm. They maintain that his success in New York City and his views on taxes and fighting terrorism -- shaped by the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 -- outweigh any personal foibles and positions on social issues that stray from the GOP party line.

New Hampshire's readiness to embrace the former mayor is significant because it appears to contradict the conventional wisdom that the more Republicans learn about Giuliani the less they will like him. And while New Hampshire has a higher number of socially moderate Republicans than many other states, it is also the onetime base of such stalwart social conservatives as former senators Gordon Humphrey and Bob Smith .

Grover Norquist, the tax cut crusader and conservative strategist, said news reports about Giuliani's personal life, including stories about his estranged second wife and children, have yet to dent his support. "If you'd known somebody for 20 years and in conversation it came up that he had been married three times, that wouldn't define him for you," Norquist said. "The country feels on the policy issues of the day that they know Giuliani. They may like him; they may not like him."

Though many Republicans say they are uncomfortable with Giuliani's views on social issues, his larger message resonates among the party's mainstream voters. Giuliani has acknowledged differences with GOP orthodoxy on such issues but has answered conservative criticism by promising to appoint judges similar to those chosen by President Bush.

"There's an image of Giuliani out there already, and it's a positive one -- strong, decisive leadership. It buys you a lot of leeway. It buys you a lot unquestioning support," said Andrew Smith , director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center .

Smith's polls have indicated that Giuliani is in a tight race in New Hampshire with Arizona Senator John McCain, who won the state's 2000 primary after spending months campaigning in the Granite State. Mitt Romney is running a distant third, though he served four years as governor of Massachusetts, which shares New Hampshire's media market.

Interviews with voters suggest Giuliani's appeal is tied to his handling of the 9/11 attacks on his city. Unlike many Democrats and independents who have separated the war on terror from the Iraq war, many Republicans still regard Iraq as the central front in the war on terror . Many regard him as a tested wartime leader.

"I don't want somebody wishy-washy in these times," said Cliff Pratt, 62, a self-described lifelong Republican who lives in Hampton.

Giuliani was not asked about and did not mention his positions on social issues at either Monday's house party in Hampton Falls or a speech yesterday in New Castle. Instead, he touted his record of cutting taxes in New York City -- and, of course, his personal exposure to terrorism on 9/11.

"America needs to be on offense against terrorism -- I learned that lesson. I learned that lesson finally and irrevocably on Sept. 11," Giuliani said at the Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce in New Castle yesterday . "I'm the candidate who has gotten the most things done. . . . If you could do it in New York City, you could do it in Washington."

He warns even more starkly than Bush that withdrawing troops from Iraq could have disastrous consequences.

"If you don't face your problems honestly, it's very, very dangerous in a world in which there are people who want to come here and kill you -- not only people that want to come here and kill you, but people who have come here and killed us," Giuliani said in Hampton Falls on Monday .

Giuliani's campaign remains a work in progress. He surprised some skeptics who had pointed to his late arrival in the race by raising $15 million in the first quarter, much of it in March alone.

His rivals have noted that Giuliani is spending less time in retail politicking than many other contenders. This week marked his first visit to New Hampshire since January, and he held only two public events -- both at exclusive venues with invitation-only guest lists -- before jetting to Iowa.

Though Giuliani said he will be back in New Hampshire "quite a bit," he warned that because so many large states have moved their primaries to earlier in the process, he might have to spend more time outside the Granite State, which holds sacred its first-in-the-nation primary status.

Some New Hampshire voters say they have seen enough.

"He's the best we've got so far," said George Blaisdell, 42, an insurance broker who lives in Hampton Falls. "I see trouble coming for him in the South. But we're going to vote our conscience here."