He was the front-runner by far. He believed he had the luxury of taking a shortcut to the Republican nomination. He thought his road to the White House didn't have to go through Iowa or New Hampshire.
It ain't over 'til it's over, but he was probably wrong.
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Rudy Giuliani, having bet almost his entire presidential campaign on Florida, hinted for the first time that he may drop out if he doesn't win the state's primary.
Polls show the former New York mayor, last year's national front-runner, trailing badly in the state where he has poured most of his time and energy in his pursuit of the Republican presidential nomination. If he wins on Tuesday, he will have earned the biggest, brashest "I told you so" of his political career.
Lose, and Giuliani may be uttering his final words of the campaign.
"Wednesday morning, we'll make a decision," he told reporters between campaign appearances Monday. "The winner of Florida will win the nomination; we're going to win Florida."
Just last week, he insisted that no matter what the outcome in Florida he would continue running.
...In an unconventional move, Giuliani largely bypassed the early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Michigan and South Carolina, pinning his hopes on a fractured field and the prospect that his moderate GOP record would attract support in the delegate-rich states of Florida, New York, California and Illinois.
Florida has been less than hospitable. Surveys show rivals Mitt Romney and John McCain fighting for the lead, and the state's top two Republicans — Sen. Mel Martinez and Gov. Charlie Crist — endorsed McCain.
Inside an airport hangar, as a crowd of Giuliani supporters dispersed, some grumbled about Crist's decision to endorse McCain, a major slight to the ex-mayor.
"That was a rotten trick. I'm disappointed," said John Fischer, a self-described "geezer from New Jersey" sporting bright red suspenders and a Giuliani sticker plastered to his cap.
The "geezer from New Jersey" is right. Crist did stab Giuliani in the back.
Look at these photos of Giuliani campaigning for Crist, November 5, 2006:
Crist (right) and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani wave to cheering supporters as they board a jet at Orlando Sanford International airport, following the rally in Sanford, bound for St. Petersburg-Clearwater airport.
Republican gubernatorial nominee Charlie Crist and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani (right) greet five-month-old Austin Greer and his grandmother, Beth King, as they arrive for a rally at Orlando Sanford International airport in Sanford, Sunday.
Charlie Crist (left) and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani react to cheering supporters during the rally at Orlando Sanford International airport, in Sanford, Sunday.
Giuliani gambled and it appears that he's about to lose big.
I wonder why Crist turned on Rudy.
Could it be McCain made Crist an offer he couldn't refuse?
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