Judy Claims She's Right for Rudy

Ex-mayor's erratic third wife says she's just a political newbie, not a distraction
By Heather McPherson,  Newser User
Posted Aug 5, 2007 10:36 AM CDT
Judy Claims She's Right for Rudy
Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani, left, and his wife Judith talk with NASCAR driver Jeff Burton, right, at a drivers meeting prior to the start of the Pepsi 400 auto race the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., Saturday, July 7, 2007. (AP Photo/John Raoux)   (Associated Press)

Politicos say Rudy Giuliani can't win without his wife—but he may not be able to win with her either. Rumors have dogged Judy during her cautious public roll-out: She throws her weight around on the trail, her Louis Vuitton handbag gets its own seat on the campaign jet, and she has a “hit list” of aides she wants fired. But the garrulous Judy fires back, saying she lacks only political acumen—not substance.

A recent Vanity Fair piece slammed the itinerant First Lady hopeful, claiming the former nurse pursued Giuliani while he was still married, then had a secret affair with the then-mayor before wedding him. But in an interview with the Times, Rudy, who was once ridiculed for suggesting he'd invite Judy to cabinet meetings, describes his wife as “rookie of the year,” a trusted sounding board for his policies and an effective fund-raiser. (More Rudy Giuliani stories.)

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