Rudy Giuliani Running for President as Republican?
Some oddities in his campaign paperwork have some questioning whether Rudy Giuliani really intends to run for president–and whether he’ll do so as a Republican, Craig Gordon reports for Newsday.
The ex-mayor still is holding back from submitting the simple one-page form declaring himself a possible candidate, despite raising $1.4 million to run. And asked what party he belongs to on a different form, Giuliani didn’t say – he left the answer blank.
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“The mayor continues to be a proud member of the Republican Party, and we are extremely encouraged by the response from Republicans across the country to his potential run for president,” Giuliani spokeswoman Katie Levinson said.
The documents appear likely to fuel doubts among Republicans about whether Giuliani really wants to run. Many still remember his on-again, off-again interest in running for Senate in 2000, a campaign he ultimately quit after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.
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It’s no secret Giuliani would have a better shot at the White House if he didn’t have to win the Republican nomination first. His views on social issues are out of step with his party.
And the omission raises the question of whether Giuliani is leaving the door open a crack to run not as a Republican at all, but as an independent.
Giuliani’s campaign confirmed that leaving off the Republican designation wasn’t a typo. It was the campaign’s “judgment that we didn’t have to fill in that box,” said a campaign lawyer. The lawyer said an update filed Wednesday lists him as a Republican, though that form couldn’t be found on the Federal Election Commission Web site.
Giuliani is showing all the signs of running and, indeed, has likely spent as much or more “testing the waters” as allowed under the law. Simply, put, he’s running for president in 2008.
The failure to identify himself as a Republican is a head scratcher. Perhaps this is an outgrowth of the unusual New York City phenomenon of candidates running on several party tickets simultaneously. Regardless, he’s smart enough to know that a major party nomination is the only proven path to the presidency and that, despite his differences with the base on some key issues, the GOP is his best shot.
via Taegan Goddard
Mr. Giuliani’s greatest assets are that he belongs to nobody & doesn’t care whether you like him or not- those are the qualities it takes to lead- just look at the Man’s record- forget about 9/11. New york City- the most corrupt & decadent City was single handedly resurrected by this Man- I’d like to share this miracle with ALL of America- Mr. Giuliani deserves to be President!!!!