Rudy Giuliani today collected the endorsement of former California Gov. Pete Wilson, but it's unclear whether that's a boon.

Wilson is often credited with turning California into a permanent Blue State because of how he handled immigration. He fought and won a referendum, Proposition 187, that would have denied illegal aliens many social services.

The measure was blocked by a federal court, and eventually California, under new Gov. Gray Davis, dropped the case, killing the law.

But the effects are still felt in electoral politics, with Hispanic voters voting overwhelmingly Democratic. Other than current Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, no other Republican has won the governorship, a U.S. Senate seat or carried the state in a presidential election since.

The problem for Giuliani is that he doesn't gain much support from the right of his party for having the nomination. The former governor was pro-choice and had a habit of angering conservatives in his state.

In announcing the endorsement, the Giuliani camp shied away from the contentious issues and focused on Wilson's time as mayor of San Diego where, the campaign said, Wilson led a revitalization that was similar to what Giuliani would later lead in New York.

— Stephen Dinan, White House correspondent, The Washington Times