A highly-placed New York Republican called late last week to note a story that went largely unnoticed in all the pre-Irene hoopla regarding Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s signing of the Susan B. Anthony List’s antiabortion pledge.

Perry’s signature would pretty much rule out the Perry-Giuliani ticket floated recently by former NY GOP Chair Bill Powers – or the appointment of the former NYC mayor to any cabinet posts (like US AG, for example), since the document requires the nomination of only antiabortion judges and appointees.

Perry’s main GOP 2012 rival, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, refused to sign the pledge, calling it too broad.

The Republican who brought the Perry story to my attention is a Romney supporter, and also thought it worth highlighting that Perry endorsed Giuliani for president back in 2008.

What I found noteworthy about this exchange was the fact that a NY Romney supporter would be seeking to drive a wedge between Perry and Giuliani.

My GOP source explained that Romney, thanks to his 2008 run and tenure as governor in neighboring Massachusetts, is considered a strong frontrunner in New York – particularly with ex-Gov. George Pataki out of the race (if anyone really considered backing him) and Giuliani pushing off a decision until the end of this month.

Perry is unknown to many New York GOP operatives and county chairs, but he’s starting to make some inroads here.

He already has some WNY backers, including former Sens. Mary Lou Rath and Dale Volker. The governor also keynoted the NYC GOP’s Lincoln Day dinner back in June, filling in for Donald Trump after the developer decided to take a pass on 2012.

Trump is now saying very nice things about Perry, and has reportedly been chatting with him on the phone. Getting support from The Donald, who hasn’t completely shut the door on an independent White House run, is a top priority for a number of the GOP presidential contenders – including Romney, too.

Romney backers in the Empire State worry Perry’s operation, which is pretty much nonexistent here, would get a big boost if Giuliani decided to throw in his lot with the Texas governor.

Apparently, a number of key GOP county chairs are making noises about backing Romney, but – like the bulk of the national GOP – aren’t quite sold. They’re still hoping NJ Gov. Chris Christie will change his mind, which would shake up the field in a big way.

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