Rudy's Last Stand
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FT MYERS, FL - With less than 24 hours until the polls open in Florida, tomorrow is either the beginning of something big for Rudy Giuliani, or the beginning of the end.
On his final swing through the state, an upbeat Giuliani emerged from his chartered jet in sun drenched Ft. Myers and addressed a group of roughly 75 supporters gathered on the tarmac of the South Florida International Airport. (Incidentally, an employee at Private Sky Aviation, where the event took place, estimated Mitt Romney had close to 200 people at a rally at the same location earlier this morning.)
Rudy urged the crowd to get to the polls tomorrow, telling them victory was still within grasp. "We need you to work really hard over the next twenty four hours in getting out the vote," Giuliani said. "If you do that, we've got the votes. We're going to win Florida."
Giuliani again made his case as an accomplished leader with a positive vision for the country, describing himself as "the guy who gets things done." He told the crowd he was the only candidate running who had a record of slashing taxes, a record of turning around an economy, and a record of performance in a time of crisis.
Giuliani clearly hopes to take advantage of the mud wrestling match that has broken out between Mitt Romney and John McCain in recent days and that intensified even further this morning.
"I am sick and tired of all this name calling," Giuliani said. "This is no way to conduct a presidential election. I believe the people of Florida are going to look at all that name calling and say 'No, No, No. We want a bold leader who has a positive vision. We want a leader who can accomplish things that other people thought were impossible.'"
Asked after the event whether the 'nice guy' strategy would provide enough of an opening for Giuliani, Campaign Manager Mike DuHaime said, "We hope so. Rudy's been very positive throughout the entire campaign - no negative ads, no negative mail, despite being a victim of that a little bit." DuHaime added that while the mud slinging makes headlines, Giuliani "believes voters deserve somebody who's optimistic and lays out a vision as opposed to trying to tear down other Republicans."
As for what happens after Tuesday night, DuHaime said they plan on being in California for the Republican debate Wednesday night and have a full schedule through the end of next week in February 5th states across the country.
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