Washington – Rudolph Giu liani, the former New York City mayor whose popularity soared after his response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, moved closer Monday to a full-fledged campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.
In a sign that he’s serious about running for the White House, he filed a “statement of candidacy” with the Federal Election Commission, indicating he would run as a Republican should he decide to go forward.
“Today, we just took another step toward running for president,” Giuliani told reporters in Long Island, N.Y, while campaigning with a state Senate candidate. “It’s a big step, an important one. Quite honestly, we’re probably ahead of schedule.”
“We still have to think about a formal announcement and how to do it, but this is a pretty strong step,” he added.
Unlike his chief GOP rivals, Sen. John McCain and Mitt Romney, Giuliani has been ambiguous about whether he will pursue the Republican nomination, even though he has taken the initial steps.
In recent weeks, Giuliani’s cautious and noncommittal attitude has caused some critics to question whether he would abandon his bid even before formally entering the race, as he did in 2000 when he was considering a Senate campaign against Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton.
But Giuliani has started to sound and act like a strong contender, traveling to the early primary states of New Hampshire and South Carolina and arguing that his vision for the future and performance in the past would make him a formidable nominee.
Behind the scenes, he has been busy supplementing his cadre of New York loyalists with Washington-savvy political operatives, establishing a fundraising network and setting up a campaign headquarters.
Publicly, however, he has stopped short of committing to a run, insisting he has to decide whether he can make a “unique contribution” to help strengthen the country – his barometer for whether to run.
“There’s a real good chance,” Giuliani said Saturday in South Carolina, another coy answer to what has been a constant question on the campaign trail.
However slight, the shift in campaign organization is an indication that Giuliani likes the response he’s received as he gauges support while traveling the country.
Monday’s steps, including eliminating the phrase “testing the waters,” put Giuliani on the same level legally as McCain and Romney, who have formed regular exploratory committees and filed statements of candidacy.
