Rudy Giuliani presidential campaign, 2008

The 2008 presidential campaign of Rudy Giuliani began following the formation of the Draft Giuliani movement in October 2005. The next year, Giuliani opened an exploratory committee and formally announced in February 2007 that he was actively seeking the presidential nomination of the Republican Party. At the onset of the campaign, Giuliani held a significant lead in the nationwide polls. The candidacy of Senator John McCain faltered, and Giuliani maintained his lead in both national polls and fundraising throughout 2007. Political observers predicted that Giuliani would lose support, and he was criticized for a lack of substantive policy stances. Eschewing the common strategy of focusing on early-voting states such as Iowa and New Hampshire, Giuliani focused instead on larger states. He campaigned in Florida throughout the primary season, hoping a win in that state's primary would propel him to victory in other primaries on Super Tuesday (February 5). On January 29, 2008, Giuliani finished third in the Florida primary. The following day, he ended his campaign and endorsed eventual Republican nominee John McCain. Background