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Giuliani's wife reveals a third marriage

From Paul Steinhauser
CNN Washington Bureau

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- It turns out that former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and his wife, Judith, have a couple of things in common. Both have been married three times and divorced twice. And while Rudy Giuliani's stormy marital history is already well know, his wife's martial history made the front pages of New York tabloids Friday.

The presidential candidate's wife revealed a marriage in Nevada when she wasn't quite 20 years old. The marriage lasted 5 years and ended in divorce. Months later, Judith Giuliani said "I do" for the second time. That marriage lasted 12 years. After her second divorce, she exchanged wedding vows with the former mayor in 2003.

Giuliani campaign aides say the former mayor and his close friends and family had long been aware of Judith Giuliani's marital past.

Giuliani has addressed his marital past before, saying, "I'm a human being. I make mistakes. I'm not perfect." His most recent divorce was very public and so bitter that in a recent interview with The New York Times, Giuliani's son Andrew said he would not campaign for his father. He also has said "there's obviously a little problem" between him and Judith Giuliani.

But Rudy Giuliani isn't the only Republican presidential contender with marital baggage. Newt Gingrich was recently interviewed on a conservative talk radio show by Dr. James Dobson, a leader among social conservatives.

Dobson addressed Gingrich's marital troubles and questioned the former speaker of the House, saying, "I asked you if the rumors were true that you were in an affair with a woman obviously who wasn't your wife at the same time that Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky were having their escapade."

Gingrich bluntly responded, "Well the fact is that the honest answer is yes." Gingrich, like Giuliani, is on his third marriage.

Arizona Sen. John McCain spoke out about his divorce during his first run for the White House, saying, "Let me say that I am responsible for the breakup of my first marriage."

These three men aren't the only ones in the Republican party to have been divorced. There's also the once-divorced and twice-elected President Ronald Reagan.

So when it comes to Giuliani, whose moderate social views may turn off crucial conservative voters, is getting all of this information out in the open so early in the campaign the right strategy?

CNN Political Editor Mark Preston thinks so.

"By acknowledging this news on their own terms, the Giuliani campaign helps lessen any sense of scandal that might otherwise be associated with it if it were revealed by a news organization or an opponent," he said.

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