Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Time magazine's Man of the Year for 2001, is officially jumping into the presidential race and, like another New York politicians, he's in it presumably to win it, as the Big Apple mayor propelled to worldwide fame by his gritty performance-under-fire on 9/11 preps a "statement of candidacy" for the Federal Election Commission. Today's AP story looks at how, even before he's an official candidate, Giuliani's campaign hit a rough spot and fought back:
Unlike chief GOP rivals Sen. John McCain and Mitt Romney, Giuliani has been somewhat ambiguous about whether or not he would ultimately pursue the Republican nomination. He took the initial step in November of creating a committee to explore a candidacy but added the caveat that he was simply "testing the waters" a provision that allows truly uncertain candidates to move forward without any commitment to seek a top spot on the ticket or the need to identify donors. At the time, Giuliani also did not file an official statement declaring that he was a presidential candidate.
The steps Monday put Giuliani on the same level, legally, as McCain and Romney, the other two top-tier GOP candidates who have formed regular exploratory committees and filed statements of candidacy.
Giuliani's cautious and noncommittal attitude has caused some critics to publicly question whether he would abandon his bid even before formally entering the race, as he did in 2000 when he was considering a Senate campaign against Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Fighting back in recent weeks, Giuliani has started to sound and act like a strong contender, traveling to early primary states of New Hampshire and South Carolina, and arguing that his vision for the future and performance in the past would make him a formidable GOP nominee.
Yeah, I know he's liberal on some key social issues. Still, don't count Giuliani out. He has two things that much of the rest of the GOP field lacks: celebrity and charisma.
Image credit: Time magazine.
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