Giuliani cuts a different path in White House race

By Jason Szep

PLYMOUTH, New Hampshire (Reuters) - As most of his rivals fight for the national spotlight in Iowa, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani is boosting his campaign in New Hampshire in a last-ditch gamble days before the start of a close race for the Republican presidential nomination.

Struggling to hold a national lead among Republicans, Giuliani has maintained a low-key presence in Iowa, whose January 3 caucuses officially kick off a battle for the Republican nomination. Instead, he has focused much of his firepower on big states like Florida and the 22 states holding "Super Tuesday" contests on February 5.

He has also held fewer public events than his top rivals in New Hampshire, whose nominating primary on January 8 is the second big contest early in the presidential race.

A strong performance in Iowa and New Hampshire traditionally can spark enough momentum to carry other contests in the state-by-state process to pick the Democratic and Republican candidates who will face off in the presidential election on November 4.

On Sunday, Giuliani expressed confidence in his chances.

"I'm tested and ready," he told about 200 voters in a hall for elderly citizens in Plymouth, a town cradled by New Hampshire's snow-capped White Mountains.

As he often does, Giuliani peppered his speech with references to national security and his experience as New York's mayor during the September 11 attacks.

"We've got to remain on the offense against Islamic terrorists," he said several times the appearance, one of three events during a one-day visit to New Hampshire.

In New Hampshire, Giuliani has held about 74 public events since entering the race this year, compared to 113 by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and 97 by Arizona Sen. John McCain, who are neck-and-neck at the top of most New Hampshire opinion polls.

The figures, tallied by nh2008.blogspot.com/, exclude business events closed to the public.

LOOKING AHEAD

Political analysts and some voters say the strategy could be risky for "America's mayor," as Giuliani became known after the September 11 attacks.

A poor performance in New Hampshire and Iowa could hurt Giuliani's efforts to build nationwide momentum at a time when former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who leads polls in Iowa, and Romney, who leads in New Hampshire, pose serious challenges to Giuliani's nationwide front-runner status, they said.

"Giuliani's strategy here is puzzling. It's an on-again, off-again relationship with New Hampshire," said Dante Scala, a University of New Hampshire political science professor.

"It really seemed like this was a state that was made for him as a moderate and a fiscal conservative. I think the door was open for him but it hasn't happened."