Republicans bring brawl to Washington this week
By Sam Youngman
October 16, 2007
A divided Republican Party will be on display in Washington this week, as the party’s leading presidential candidates bring their intensifying battle for the nomination to key Washington groups.
The candidates will try to make their case in front of groups ranging from party establishment to fiscal conservatives to the religious right. The effort follows a weekend that saw the top contenders battle each other over who is the “real Republican” in the race.
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has already traded charges in recent weeks with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney over who is the true fiscal conservative. And this weekend saw a noticeable uptick in the harshness of criticisms being exchanged by the leading contenders.
This week’s events present opportunities for Romney, Giuliani, former Sen. Fred Thompson (Tenn.) and resurgent candidate Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) to carve out an edge with the Republican base, which has been largely unsatisfied with its choices.
The leading candidates will appear Tuesday morning before the Republican Jewish Coalition, each speaking for 45 minutes in a question-and-answer session. They will then address the Republican National Committee on Tuesday night, when they have five minutes each to speak to the committee’s Presidential Trust Dinner and fundraiser.
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