Rudy Giuliani, Milwaukee Police Assoc. endorse Thompson

MILWAUKEE -- Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York, endorsed Wisconsin's former governor Tommy Thompson in the U.S. Senate race Thursday, March 29th.

Giuliani cited Thompson's leadership skills as one reason he's endorsing Thompson for U.S. Senate. "He was a great example to many other governors who followed him, and mayors. I copied his welfare reform in New York City. I can see him leading a lot of the debate that's going to be necessary about how we deal with health care and how we deal with our economy, and how we deal with taxes," Giuliani said.

Thompson also got the endorsement Thursday of the Milwaukee Police Association. "During his tenure as governor, Tommy has led a true focus towards crime-related issues: truth in sentencing, life means life and the sexual predator law are just a few of his initiatives," Milwaukee Police Association President Mike Crivello said.

Thompson has three challengers in the Republican primary: former Congressman Mark Neumann, Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald and businessman Eric Hovde.

The latest Rasmussen poll says Thompson is the most likely to beat Democratic candidate Tammy Baldwin, although the margin has tightened. "All the polls say that if I win the Republican nomination, which I intend to do, I win," Thompson said.

In a YouTube video, the state Democratic Party thanks Thompson for supporting the individual mandate in the health care law now being challenged in the Supreme Court. Thompson says he hasn't seen it, but he's heard about it. "Somehow, the Democratic Party really wants to just muddy me and make a lot of false accusations and outright lies, in order to try to drag me down," Thompson said.

Thompson says he plans to give an endorsement of his own. He says he will likely endorse a Republican presidential candidate before Tuesday's Wisconsin primary election.