AUSTIN, Texas AP – Republican Rudy Giuliani – thrice-married, liberal on social issues and a consummate New Yorker – seems an unlikely White House contender to be embraced by a Texas’ GOP establishment rooted in the energy industry and dominated by religious conservatives.
But the former New York mayor has built a formidable political base in Texas with the help of well-connected Republican money men. He owes his advantage in part to his role as a name partner with a powerhouse, Houston-based law firm known for its impressive roster of energy-giant clients, Bracewell & Giuliani.
