Giuliani takes early swings for president
The former New York mayor talks tough on terror in St. Petersburg.
By ADAM C. SMITH
Published April 5, 2007
ST. PETERSBURG - "America's Mayor" swept into Florida's biggest swing county Wednesday, picking up a batch of endorsements and casting himself as the strongest presidential candidate to fight terrorists.
Republican Rudy Giuliani, leading in most national polls but moving slower than his rivals in building a Florida campaign, drew at least 300 people to St. Petersburg High School eager to see the former New York City mayor made famous in the aftermath of 9/11.
"You know why we're going to win Florida? Because sometimes I find more New Yorkers in Florida than I find anywhere else," Giuliani joked to the enthusiastic crowd.
The 62-year-old former federal prosecutor also courted Gov. Charlie Crist and Republican lawmakers in Tallahassee and weighed in on some Florida issues:
- He assured Gov. Crist that he supports the creation of a national catastrophic fund that could help ease property insurance costs in Florida.
- He told reporters he supported government intervention to keep the severely brain-damaged Terri Schiavo alive after courts ordered her feeding tubes removed: "I thought it was appropriate to make every effort to give her a chance to stay alive."
- He said he was open to more drilling off the coast of Florida: "Energy independence means everything has to be open for discussion."
While Republican rivals Mitt Romney and John McCain have been far more active developing grass roots organizations in Florida, Giuliani's celebrity status helps compensate. A Quinnipiac University poll released earlier this week showed Giuliani leading among Republican voters in Florida with 35 percent. His closest rival was McCain at 15 percent.
Throughout the school auditorium were people eager to see in person the man who impressed them so much after 9/11.
"The jury's still out on who I'll vote for, but I like him a lot. He's got a lot of good leadership skills," said Bill Dikun of Clearwater, a retired New Jersey police chief.
The Giuliani campaign announced that Attorney General Bill McCollum will be his Florida campaign chairman, and he picked up a host of endorsements from Tampa Bay Republican politicians.
Among them: state Sens. Mike Fasano and Dennis Jones; state Reps. Peter Nehr and Rich Glorioso; Pinellas Sheriff Jim Coats; Pinellas Tax Collector Diane Nelson; and Pinellas County Commissioner John Morroni.
Pinellas GOP chairman Tony DiMatteo declared Pinellas "Giuliani country."
U.S. Reps Ginny Brown-Waite of Brooksville and C.W. "Bill" Young of Indian Shores also spoke warmly of Giuliani. But Young later said "it's just too early" to endorse, and Brown-Waite has already endorsed Romney.
A social issue moderate who supports abortion rights and gay rights, Giuliani avoided those issues in St. Petersburg and instead talked up tax cuts and small government. He hammered Democrats for pushing a deadline for withdrawal from Iraq, and said America needs to be on offense in the war on terror.
"Being on offense means not announcing your retreat, waving the white flag and giving them the schedule of surrender," Giuliani said, making a pointed reference to the troop withdrawal plan Democrats in Congress support. "Being on offense means the Patriot Act. Being on offense means electronic surveillance - legal, but it has to happen. Being on offense means interrogation - legal, humane, certainly not torture, but tough and powerful and strong."
Giuliani took no questions from the audience, but in talking to reporters said he expects Florida will move its Republican primary to Feb. 5 or sooner and that all the candidates will devote a lot of effort in the state.
Democrat Barack Obama is scheduled to campaign in Tampa on April 15, and Arizona Sen. McCain is expected to campaign in Tampa Bay in May.
Times staff writer Alex Leary contributed to this report. Adam C. Smith can be reached at 727 893-8241 or asmith@sptimes.com.