Giuliani's big gamble backfires in Florida
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.As if things weren't grisly enough already, Rudy Giuliani hit the campaign trail in Florida yesterday wounded by fresh polls still pegging him a distant third in primary voting tomorrow. He was also robbed at the last moment of support from the state's Republican governor, Charlie Crist.
There was no mentioning Mr Crist as the former New York mayor courted the Jewish vote in a wealthy Boca Raton synagogue yesterday morning, touting his long record of standing by Israel and highlighting his commitment to combating the "Islamic terrorist war against the United States".
But the surprise announcement at the weekend that governor Crist was endorsing John McCain, the Arizona senator, in Florida was a particular affront to Mr Giuliani who has been counting on the Sunshine State to power his quest for the party's presidential nomination.
Moreover, Mr Giuliani has been alone among Republican runners fully supporting a call by Mr Crist for a National Catastrophic Fund to help Floridians get through hurricanes. The governor's endorsement of Mr McCain so close to voting day reflects the extremely tight battle between him and Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts.
Most state polls suggest Mr McCain may have an edge here, but only a slight one. Both are anxious to bag Florida's large tally of 57 nominating delegates and use a victory to move forward to Super Tuesday on 5 February when more than 20 states hold primaries.
Mr Giuliani drew an enthusiastic crowd to the Boca Raton synagogue, but some members of its Orthodox Jewish congregation privately expressed bafflement over his primaries strategy that essentially gambled everything on winning the contest in Florida. "Where has he been all this time?" asked a frustrated Daniel Katz, the largest donor to the synagogue.
A national tracking poll released last night by Rasmussen showed Republicans divided equally between Messrs Romney and McCain for their party's nomination with 27 per cent intending to vote for each.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments