ALBANY -- Key New York political leaders indicated Monday they favor moving the state's presidential primary up a month to Feb. 5 -- a shift that could help the 2008 campaigns of Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton and Republican Rudy Giuliani.

National polls show the two New Yorkers are front-runners for their respective party's nominations.

Meanwhile, the head of the state's influential Conservative Party, Michael Long, said that despite Giuliani's past support for abortion and gay rights, and tough gun-control legislation, "he has a very good chance at getting the (Republican) nomination" for president.

Long said he expected Clinton to be the Democratic Party's nominee.

Several other big states, including California and New Jersey, are already considering shifting their primaries to Feb. 5. Such a move could create a new Super Tuesday showdown just days after the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary and the follow-up South Carolina primary.

"The speaker is favorably inclined to move the date. He thinks it would be the right thing for the state and will be speaking to the governor about doing it," said Charles Carrier, a spokesman for state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a Manhattan Democrat and key backer of Clinton's bid for the 2008 Democratic nomination.

New Democratic Gov. Eliot Spitzer has yet to decide where he stands on the plan, first reported in Monday's editions of the New York Post, said spokeswoman Christine Anderson.

"It's something we're taking a look at," said John McArdle, a spokesman for Joseph Bruno, the state Senate's Republican majority leader. Bruno has close ties to both Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, and to Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican who polls show is Giuliani's main competition for the GOP presidential nomination.

The Bruno aide declined to say who had brought up the subject with the Senate leader, but a veteran Democratic strategist said moving the New York primary to Feb. 5, from March 4, would be of greatest benefit to Giuliani.

"Rudy should pray this is what happens," said Hank Sheinkopf. "The more non-Southern states he can perform well in, the higher the probability that he can be the (GOP) nominee. The earlier they are the better."

"His danger is the South," Sheinkopf said, noting Giuliani's positions on abortion and other social issues that don't sit well with many conservative Republicans.

Long said he was happy to see that when pressed on the abortion issue, Giuliani was now talking up his personal opposition even while supporting a women's right to choose, and saying that as president he would nominate judges for the Supreme Court who are strict constructionists.

"I'm not saying he became pro-life, but any kind of conversion or movement is healthy," said Long, whose Conservative Party did not support Giuliani in his two successful mayoral campaigns, but did become more friendly to the mayor in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Sheinkopf said Clinton, New York's junior senator, would also benefit from shifting the primary to Feb. 5.

"She could potentially walk away from New York with a huge number of delegates after a limited amount of work," said Sheinkopf, who worked on President Clinton's successful 1996 re-election campaign, but who is not working on Sen. Clinton's effort.

"It's absolutely smart for her," Sheinkopf said. "It gives her momentum and puts the chill on Barack Obama and others because she should perform well here."

"It's the first that we've heard of it and that's all we're going to say," said Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson when asked about the possible New York primary shift.

There was no immediate comment from Giuliani.