ORLANDO, Fla. – Rudy Giuliani suffered a humiliating defeat last night in Florida that all but doomed the efforts of “America’s Mayor” to lay claim to the White House.
Giuliani, who had focused virtually his entire campaign on Florida and deemed it a must-win state, was lagging a distant third to John McCain and Mitt Romney, according to exit polls and early vote tabulations.
With 20 percent of the ballots counted, Giuliani trailed badly behind at 17 percent, while McCain led with 34 percent and Romney had 31 percent. Mike Huckabee was at 13 percent.
On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton defeated Barack Obama and John Edwards, although the contest amounted to little because the Democratic National Committee had stripped the state of its delegates because it had moved up its primary date.
The Democratic candidates didn’t campaign in Florida because of the DNC action and Obama and Edwards charged that Clinton’s attempt to claim “victory” in the state was a charade.
Giuliani’s back-of-the-pack finish makes it almost impossible for him to compete seriously in the two dozen states that vote in six days on Super Tuesday.
Recent polls have shown him trailing McCain even in his own back yard – New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, which are among those voting on Super Tuesday.
Last night’s result is a breathtaking collapse for the one-time national front-runner who was unable to convert much goodwill around the country over his handling of the Sept. 11 attacks into real political popularity.
Giuliani was troubled with lingering questions about his personal life, an inability to find an effective message to capture voters’ attention, and a campaign strategy of ignoring early-voting states that proved to be a disaster.
In fact, many Floridians who pulled the lever yesterday for McCain or Romney told The Post they had considered supporting Giuliani but deserted him because he had failed to compete Iowa, New Hampshire, Michigan and South Carolina.
“He didn’t jump in the race early like everyone else. That was a dumb move,” said Liz Valente, of Clearwater, Fla., who moved here from Queens.
“He should have been out there fighting from the beginning,” Valente added. “I thought Rudy would be a viable candidate. I thought he could have handled Hillary Clinton really well.”
Voters said Giuliani – who prides himself on his leadership qualities and wrote a book about it – looked tentative and weak.
“I just decided that Giuliani didn’t have enough guts and drive. He made a mistake of settling down here in Florida. He had an idea and it didn’t work,” McCain voter Carol Kaufmann said.
Giuliani’s stunning fall may go down as one of the biggest political flops ever, consultants told The Post.
“Rudy’s campaign underestimated Republican primary voters and how they follow what happens in Iowa and New Hampshire,” said a GOP consultant.
“He wrote himself out of the race. He took the easy way out by kicking the can to Florida. He gave McCain a chance to rise from the ashes.”
Giuliani had long argued that he was the most electable Republican to take on the Democrats but voters said they didn’t think he stood a chance.
“Giuliani is a good man. Just by being Italian I would have voted for him,” said James Villa, a retired plastics manufacturer from Pittsburgh who backed Romney.
“But I didn’t think he could win. He made a terrible mistake by not participating in the other primaries,” Villa added.
Vito Prudente, a WWII veteran, said he was leaning toward Giuliani but voted for McCain.
“I was going to vote for Giuliani because of what he did in New York as mayor. But he petered out,” Prudente said.
Giuliani had worked hard to win over Cuban-American voters, but McCain, who was endorsed by Cuban-American Sen. Mel Martinez, led Giuliani by two-to-one among Hispanics, early exit polls showed.
Before his fall, Giuliani aides insisted that the Northeast was “momentum-proof.”
But his New York Republican supporters have already given up hope – even in his native Brooklyn.
The executive committee of the Kings County Republican Party met last night to prepare to endorse another candidate just in case Giuliani announced he was quitting the race.