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major New York City anti-firearms legislation while he was mayor - and these get him in trouble with evangelicals in particular, conservatives in general.

And then there is the factor of Giuliani's bad press in the last few months. His fallout with his alleged estranged son. His daughter posting her support for Illinois Senator Barack Obama, a leading Democratic presidential candidate, on a website. His three highly publicized marriages and two divorces have tarnished him slightly. And the neverending onslaught from pundits, comedians, reporters and tabloids on his personal life and his constant use of September 11 (he was major of New York City on that fateful day, his strong response leading to the nickname "America's mayor") as a political pitch has been troublesome.

Giuliani was open about his strategy to win the Republican nomination for president. He stated a month ago that he would concentrate on the larger states and bet his chances on Florida. Even when he began slipping in the polls - and three of his opponents began to rise dramatically - he made only token appearances in the other primary and caucus states, if at all. And this may have been a mistake. Many saw his focus on the "big picture" of the general election as a blatant dismissal of the smaller states and their delegates - and it showed at the voting polls. Giuliani finished behind most of the Republican field in South Carolina, Nevada, and Michigan.

Florida has become an all or nothing gamble for Rudy Giuliani. By no means does a losss in Florida mean that Giuliani has to drop out of contention, but a third-place finish would be damaging to his chances for nomination. By ignoring the other states running up to the Florida Primary, however, he may find that betting the White House to win on a race in Florida may not have been the best strategy.

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