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Oh, yes. The South has a long history of voting in lockstep with New York. (/s)

The South is about as solidly Republican now as it had been solidly Democrat before 1960. Giuliani is the 2008 equivalent of the last New York City native to run for President: Al Smith. Al Smith was a "wet" Catholic facing the electorate in a "dry", mostly Protestant South and lost the Upper South states of NC, VA, and TN, the Border states of WV, KY, and MO. Rudoplph Giuliani is a socially liberal secularist in the socially conservative, and still mostly Protestant, South. His supporters are living in a fantasy world if they expect the evangelicals and the gun owners of the South to vote enthusiastically for him. His perceived toughness on foreign policy is the only strong point in the traditionally pro-military South. As with Smith 80 years ago, he may lose the Upper South and the Border States.

However, Giuliani may be able to offset the loss of these states by picking up much of the Northeast, PA, NH, DE, and NJ almost certainly and maybe his home state of NY, CT, and ME. The key to his election is CA, and his political profile is similar to that of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"Rudolph Giuliani is a socially liberal secularist in the socially conservative, and still mostly Protestant, South. His supporters are living in a fantasy world if they expect the evangelicals and the gun owners of the South to vote enthusiastically for him."

Correct. Southern conservatives will not support a Northeastern cosmopolitan "intellectually enlightened elitist" socially liberal secularist, just because he appears tough on the WOT. The latter qualification does not offset the former disqualifications. If the GOP insists on offering him as their candidate, then they are making a conscience decision to forfeit the 2008 presidential election.