Jan 17, 2008 4:16 pm US/Eastern
McCain Machine Gearing Up For Giuliani, N.Y.
Sure Primary Win Now A Fight To Death For Former Mayor
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Republican presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., attends a Town Hall meeting Jan. 12, 2008, in Warren, Mich. He has his sights set on ruining Rudy Giuliani's day in New York on Super Tuesday.
Bill Pugliano/Getty Images
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Giuliani has staked much of his campaign on winning the Florida primary on Jan. 29. A win there could solidify his standing in New York.
AP
It was once unthinkable: Could Rudy Giuliani actually lose the New York primary in two and a half weeks?
As CBS station WCBS-TV in New York City found out, his Republican competitors are working hard to stage an upset victory.
It appears more than a few people are out to ruin Giuliani's day.
The John McCain campaign machine is running at full capacity, not only in South Carolina and Nevada, but right here in the former mayor's backyard.
"In these dangerous and uncertain times, John McCain is the only candidate ready to be Commander-in-Chief on Day 1," was the phone pitch many New Yorkers started hearing recently.
Needless to say, McCain forces are working hard to capitalize on Giuliani's recent woes. It was once unthinkable that he could face a serious challenge here, but his rivals are now smelling blood.
Overall, the race is still wide open. A recent New York Times-CBS poll said 72 percent of Republican voters say they still might change their minds.
Which means McCain isn't about to shy away from New York or any other state.
"The tide changed with the New Hampshire primary and Sen. McCain jumped ahead in all the national polls and he's jumped ahead here in New York, too, is my sense of it," McCain campaign state chairman Ed Cox told WCBS-TV.
Giuliani concedes he needs to win the Jan. 29 Florida primary, and that's far from a sure thing. Depending on which poll you look at, Giuliani and McCain are virtually neck and neck right now in the Sunshine State. The New York primary falls on Super Tuesday, Feb. 5.
A recent poll had Giuliani leading McCain by only three points in New York, but some insiders think the former mayor is doing better than that.
"He's got a past infrastructure from when he was mayor," political consultant Joseph Mercurio said. "The other candidates don't have that. They have to depend on people who don't like Giuliani to set up their own phone banks."
That's what's taking place in the offices of the Sergeant's Benevolent Association. There's a lot of history between the union and Giuliani, not all of it good.
They'll be fighting an uphill race against Giuliani, who has the support of the Republican establishment in New York, but they're counting on his fortunes continuing to sink.
There's only seven days between the Florida primary and Super Tuesday. That won't give McCain or the other Republicans much time if Giuliani stumbles. But the forces are out, and ready to do battle.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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