Guiliani insiders are saying that the former New York City mayor will pull out of the GOP presidential race and throw his support to Sen. John McCain. Rudy had counted on the NY transplants in Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Broward counties. Instead, he failed to win any of those counties. McCain beat him 2 to 1 – 154,520 to 74,862 (with 2281 out of 2287 precincts reporting).
Guiliani had banked on his 9/11 fame to carry him. However exit polls show that the Republican voters were more concerned about the economy than terrorism or the Iraq War.
In the Panhandle, Rudy came in a distant fourth with only 3,017 votes in Escambia County. McCain won the county – 15,121; Mitt Romney 11,391; Mike Huckabee 9,491. Ron Paul only got 45 votes – which is about as many stenciled signs in he has in the area.
Santa Rosa County: John McCain 9,596; Mitt Romney 6,704; Mike Huckabee 6,276; Guiliani only 1,696.