Craig says Giuliani can win

Harford County Executive David Craig told PolitickerMD.com that the race for the Republican presidential nomination is “wide-open,” and that his preferred candidate, Rudy Giuliani, could win.

Giuliani, who placed a distant fifth in Iowa and fourth in New Hampshire, is essentially riding his campaign on winning in Florida, where the primary is scheduled for Jan. 29.

The former New York City mayor has spent considerable time and money in the Sunshine State, reaching out to voters, many of whom are retired New Yorkers.

“I think (Giuliani) is playing the one strategy that can work for him,” Craig said.

The Florida primary is one-week before Tsunami Tuesday, when more than 20 states go to the polls to vote in primaries and caucuses.

Craig said that if Giuliani fails to win Florida, “it may be time to have second thoughts,” but encouraged the mayor to “go through Super Tuesday.”

 Craig cited states like New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, where voters go to the polls on Feb. 5, in Giuliani’s backyard. The former mayor has also focused on the delegate-rich state of California, which also votes on Feb. 5.

The county executive said he could see a scenario where any of the “top four” GOP candidates, including Giuliani, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, and Mitt Romney, could win the nomination. He also predicted that the South Carolina primary would end Fred Thompson’s campaign.

“If Romney doesn’t win Michigan—his campaign has to decide if they want to stay in,” Craig later added.

Republicans will vote today in Michigan, where Romney and McCain are in a battle for the lead. A victory is critical for Romney, who was born and Michigan, and whose father, George, served as governor of the state from 1963-1969.

In addition, Craig said he would “contact” the Giuliani campaign to see if should campaign for the mayor in Florida.

Craig, who spent time campaigning for Giuliani in New Hampshire, said the Giuliani campaign previously told him that “they potentially need help in Illinois,” where the primary is also scheduled for Feb. 5.

If he were to travel to Illinois or Florida, Craig said he would “work the weekend,” saying he previously spent “Friday afternoon through late Sunday night” working for Giuliani prior to the New Hampshire primary.

Recent polls have shown a virtual four-way statistical tie in Florida between McCain, Giuliani, Romney, and Huckabee.

The county executive discussed his trip to New Hampshire, saying he spent most of the time going “door-to-door,” on Giuliani’s behalf.

“Having never done New Hampshire before—I can’t say that it was typical,” Craig said, describing his trip as “interesting,” but saying “most people weren’t home.”

“Most people were very jaded,” he added. “They were waiting for the primary to end, and for people to stop calling them on the phone.”

Craig also weighed-in on the announcement made last week by the Giuliani campaign that between 15 and 20 senior staff members are working the month of January without pay.

“I’m used to running campaigns where people don’t get paid,” Craig said. “It’s a surprise to me when they do get paid.”

The county executive also said the idea of a brokered GOP national convention would be “great.”