Can America’s Mayor become America’s Chief Executive? Supporters of former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani sure hope so. Giuliani’s strategy has centered around projecting an image of strong leadership, drawing on his experience in the aftermath of 9/11, especially on matters of national security and the war on terror. Perhaps the biggest obstacles to Giuliani running away with the Republican nomination are his moderate to liberal stances on social issues. With so much of the clout of the Republican Party (especially that portion of the party that votes most regularly in primaries) resting with Christian conservatives, Giuliani has found it difficult to draw the entire support of the party around him. Still, he has steadily pulled away from his nearest competitors in national polls and he’s hoping his presence in New England will secure the New Hampshire primary, allowing him to ride that momentum through Super Tuesday and on to the Republican nomination.
Biography
Giuliani was the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 1983-89, and used his experience cracking down on organized crime and drugs to ascend to mayor of New York City. From 1994-2001, Giuliani rose to national prominence in that position, cleaning up Times Square and revitalizing tourism in New York. If elected president, would become the second Roman Catholic in the White House.