Jan 30, 2008 12:40 am US/Pacific
Giuliani To Drop Out, Endorse McCain At L.A. Event
MIAMI (CBS 5 / AP) ―
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Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
AP
CBS News confirmed that Rudy Giuliani, who finished a disappointing third in Tuesday night's Florida GOP primary, will drop out of the presidential race and endorse friendly rival John McCain in California on Wednesday.
The endorsement was to come at an event in Los Angeles, advisors to the two campaigns said, giving McCain a further boost heading into next week's Super Tuesday primaries.
McCain solidified his status as the front-runner for the Republican nomination with a Florida triumph, his candidacy having come full circle in little more than a year.
"It shows one thing. I'm the conservative leader who can unite the party," the Arizona senator said in an interview.
Tuesday night's result was a remarkable collapse for Giuliani. Last year, he occupied the top of national polls and seemed destined to turn conventional wisdom on end by running as a moderate Republican who supported abortion rights, gay rights and gun control.
But Giuliani's master plan backfired when he banked his entire campaign strategy on winning in Florida. He basically ignored the Iowa caucuses, and the New Hampshire, Michigan and South Carolina primaries -- paying a hefty political price.
The former New York mayor stopped short of announcing he was stepping down while addressing Florida supporters on Tuesday night, but delivered a valedictory speech that was more farewell than fight-on.
"The responsibility of leadership doesn't end with a single campaign, it goes on and you continue to fight for it," Giuliani said, as supporters with tight smiles crowded behind him. "We ran a campaign that was uplifting."
"Elections are about fighting for a cause larger than ourselves," he said at one point, echoing one of McCain's most popular refrains.
Asked directly if he was dropping out of the race, Giuliani said only: "I'm going to California."
Republican presidential candidates are scheduled to debate in Simi Valley on Wednesday night.
After seven contests, Giuliani had just one delegate and four sixth-place finishes. His third-place showing in Florida was his best. He finished fourth in New Hampshire.
Giuliani's bid for the nomination was based on his leadership. The only question was how many voters would follow.
His stalwart performance as New York mayor in the tense days after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks earned him national magazine covers, international accolades and widespread praise. Yet, Giuliani was always a Republican anomaly - a moderate-to-liberal New Yorker who backed abortion rights, gay rights and gun control in a party dominated by Southern conservatives.
And even though several of his rivals were divorced and remarried, none had the dissolution of their second marriage and trysts with current wife Judith Nathan attract as much attention.
In the early days of the presidential campaign, Giuliani's mayoral record and familiar name propelled him to the lead in the polls, but voters admitted they had lots to learn about him and his positions on the issues.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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