WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, a Republican presidential contender acclaimed for his leadership after the September 11 attacks, took a step closer to an official White House run on Monday.
He filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission establishing a committee to explore a presidential bid, which allows him to raise money, travel and hire staff.
“We still have to formally announce it and do a few more things, but this is about as close as you’re gonna get,” Giuliani said on Fox News Channel’s “Hannity & Colmes.” “We did everything you have to do, I guess, legally to do it, then you still have to make a formal announcement.”
The new paperwork removed the phrase “testing the waters” from the statement of candidacy Giuliani originally filed in November.
Giuliani said the move put him in the same position as his Republican rivals Arizona Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record) and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
“If I were going to bet like you bet on the Super Bowl … I would bet that we are going ahead,” he told reporters in New York, before declining to give an announcement date except to say it would be “sooner rather than later.”
The move could calm growing doubts among Republicans about whether he is serious about a White House run in 2008. While Giuliani leads eight other Republicans in many national polls, there has been growing speculation he might not run.
He faces an uphill battle winning over conservatives who wield considerable influence in Republican primaries because of his stance on some social issues, including his support for gay rights and abortion rights
I know that the evangelicals can be hypocritical, but I still wonder how they could nominate a man that doesn’t share ANY of their values (re: guns, abortion, gays)…….and, how they can be for ‘ family values’ with a man who had his MISTRESS living in the SAME HOUSE WITH HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN?
Um…explain to me please.
Rikyrah,
They want to win and don’t care how.
I’m guessing Rudy will have no problem whatsoever being “born-again” as a gay bashing, anti-abortion Christ-o-fascist. And they will accept him just as they did a certain former (?) hard drinkin’, cork snortin’ faux cowboy.
Let’s face it…in this Age of Infotainment, Rudy’s biggest liability is his shinybald dome. No bald dude’s been elected prez since the TV era began. Rudy better shell out for a realistic looking rug if he wants to be taken seriously in this game. Either that or the image makers will convince him to go the Michael Jordan route and shave it all off…then add a goatee to score points with the 18-35 demographic.
Yep, Rudy’s got a LOT of reinventing to do over the next year or so.
What SB said.
This is the one GOP candidate that worries me. Recent Quinnipiac poll has him beating all Dem candidates in NJ in GE matchups. Only HRC is within “striking” distance (6-7 pts IIRC).
dblhelix,
If Republicans want to win, they will nominate Rudy. Period. He puts the mid-atlantic in play and doesn’t risk loosing the South.
rikyrah — for the family values crowd, it’s all about the Supreme Ct.
RG’s pitch is that irrespective of his personal views, his choices to fill the last two seats would have been Roberts and Alito as well.
SB — couldn’t agree more.
I have a feeling there are some skeletons in rudy and judi nathan’s closet that mccain and the bushs’ will shake out hard.
the bushs owe rudy payback for the disastrous kerik nomination as
homeland security chief.
the evangelicals may forget
the bushs and their pet karl rove do not.
me?
I’m getting some popcorn to watch.
iamnotstarjones,
Ain’t nobody gonna forget nothin’. Especially McCain. He picked up a good number of Bush operatives who did Bush’s dirty work during the 2000 GOP primary in South Carolina. They accused him of fathering a black child “gasp” of being “crazy” and in not so many words, not a child of God. Get enough popcorn for me, baby.