NEW GOP LANDSCAPE, McCAIN TAKES SUNSHINE STATE IN A NIPPER OVER ROMNEY. ARIZONA SENATOR BECOMES APPARENT NEW FRONTRUNNER. GIULIANI REPORTEDLY TO DROP OUT, ENDORSE McCAIN. CLINTON TAKES NO-DELEGATE CONTEST FOR DEMS.
BREAKING NEWS-GIULIANI WILL DROP OUT WEDNESDAY.
Arizona Senator John McCain scored a crucial victory in Florida Tuesday night, edging Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney in a state both candidates wanted very much to win. With 95 percent of precincts in, McCain held 36 percent of the vote, while Romney won 31 percent. Romney has vowed that he will fight on, and he is in good position to do so.
The big loser in tonight's Sunshine State vote was the long-time frontrunner, Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who was awarded only 15 percent of the vote in the state he banked his entire campaign on. Official word has now come out that Giuliani will become the latest GOP candidate to throw in the towel when he is scheduled to announce his withdrawal tomorrow and endorse McCain. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee was battling for third, but it looked like he will finish fourth, with 14 percent. Huckabee also plans to fight on through next Tuesday's huge primary day. Texas Congressman Ron Paul gained 3 percent of the vote, Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson, who actually withdrew from the race last week, managed to still get 1 percent of the vote, and California Congressman Duncan Hunter, who had also withdrawn after poor showings through the Nevada caucus, won just under 3,000 votes.
The Democratic contest doesn't mean as much, as the delegates will not be counted because of the state party holding the contest outside of the timeframe the Democratic National Committee wanted the state to. However, voting still took place for the Dems. New York Senator Hillary Clinton won in a cakewalk. With 95 percent of precincts in, Clinton held 50 percent of the vote, Illinois Senator Barack Obama won 33 percent, Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards grabbed 14 percent, and Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich, who also withdrew last week, picked up 1 percent.
The fall of Giuliani is one of the dominating stories of the night. "America's Mayor"was the long-time frontrunner of this race, leading by a dominating margin for much of 2006 and 2007. Pundits were looking for an "all Empire State" battle between Giuliani, Clinton, and an independent bid by current New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The idea of that now has apparently come to an end with the confirmed reports from GOP sources that Giuliani will drop out tomorrow before CNN's debate at the Reagan Library. Many ask the question why Giuliani's star crashed in dramatic fashion, and the obvious answer is that he didn't spend the needed time in the early states. Giuliani and Thompson serve as the two best examples to those considering a Presidential run. Don't run campaigns as they did! Both were the frontrunners during the summer months, but their strategies failed bitterly.
The difference for McCain in this race likely was the endorsements earlier this week by popular Republican Governor Charlie Crist and Republican Senator Mel Martinez, the latter of which likely attracted numerous Cuban voters to the Arizona Senator. Tonight, McCain's strongest regions were the Miami region, home to numerous Hispanic-Americans, and the Panhandle, home to a strong military voting population. Romney fared better in the Duval County-Jacksonville and the southwestern portions of the state. The crucial "I-4 corridor", based around Tampa and Orlando, went about even, with Romney gaining a small advantage in the Orlando area, and McCain holding to a slim lead in the Tampa region.
The race now shifts to "The Big Day". "Tsunami Tuesday" is to be held this next Tuesday. I intend to post a small preview of what to expect. It looks like, though, that McCain, Romney and Huckabee all will likely win states on Tuesday. It all comes down to which states, how many delegates those states will have, and how they're to be apportioned. The Giuliani endorsement of McCain will also bear some importance in this Tuesday, so stay tuned!
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