Is Rudy Fading?

Political Wire says recent polls show trouble for Rudy Giuliani:

In the wake of other recent polls showing Fred Thompson leaping into possible frontrunner contention in the GOP presidential race, the latest Washington Post/ABC News survey shows "a dramatic erosion" in support for Rudy Giuliani among Republican primary voters. "Giuliani's support dropped from 37% in a July poll to 28% in the latest survey, and his decline from February has been even more sharp.

"The latest New York Times/CBS News poll suggests the former New York mayor's strength is more about name recognition than knowledge of his stance on the issues. "Nearly half of Republican primary voters in the poll did not know Mr. Giuliani's position on abortion -- he supports abortion rights -- suggesting that he could be vulnerable among conservatives because of his positions on social issues."

People will start paying attention now that summer is over, and will look closer at how a particular candidate fits their views on various issues. There will be some shuffling of numbers now that Thompson is in the campaign, and some of those conservatives who were willing to go with Rudy if he was the best option may now shift to Thompson should he continue to look strong.