Craig Crawford's Trail Mix

If there were such a thing as a presidential primary for conservative evangelical Christians, it will be held Saturday in Washington, D.C. More than 2,000 religious activists will vote in a straw ballot after hearing pitches by the Republican White House hopefuls.

Organized by the Family Research Council, the so-called Values Voters Summit is intended to provide social conservatives a chance to choose their own standard bearer in the GOP nomination battle. But thanks to some simple arithmetic there is a strong chance that tomorrow’s balloting could benefit the candidate who most irritates many evangelical leaders: Rudy Giuliani.

The former New York mayor’s liberal views on social issues notwithstanding, the straw balloters could split so evenly among his conservative rivals that he comes out near the top — or even in first place. If that happens, the Giuliani camp will gain bragging rights to continue overstepping the major obstacle to winning the GOP nod.