Giuliani a distant third in Florida, could bow out

ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani strongly hinted on Tuesday that he might soon end his quest for the White House after finishing a distant third in the Florida Republican primary where he had staked his entire campaign.

Addressing supporters amid reports he would soon bow out of the race and endorse Arizona Sen. John McCain, who won the Florida contest, Giuliani repeatedly referred to his campaign in the past tense and added "win or lose our work is not done."

Media reports said Giuliani was planning to travel to California but would bow out of the race before Wednesday's Republican presidential debate and back McCain's candidacy.

Asked about the reports, Giuliani said only: "We're heading to California, we're heading to California."

Speaking to supporters after the Florida results, Giuliani talked at length about his vision for the country, repeatedly referring to his presidential campaign in the past tense and emotionally dedicating it to the victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks.

"We'll stay involved and together we'll make sure that we do everything we can to hand our nation off to the next generation better than it was handed to us," Giuliani said.

"The responsibility of leadership doesn't end with a single campaign," he said.

McCain, during a victory address to his own supporters, strongly praised Giuliani, calling him "an inspiration to me and millions of Americans."

"I want to thank my dear friend, Rudy Giuliani, who invested his heart and soul in this primary, and who conducted himself with all the qualities of the exceptional American leader he truly is. Thank you, for all you have added to this race."

Giuliani had staked his candidacy on a strong Florida showing, doing little campaigning in many of the early voting states and focusing his attention on the Sunshine State with its large population of former Northeasterners.

Even as late as Tuesday, with voters headed to the polls and surveys showing him well behind, Giuliani continued to insist he was in the race to win.

Giuliani, who rallied New York after the September 11 attacks, spent the day looking for votes.

He shook hands in the morning at the Little Rascal House deli in the Miami suburb of Sunny Isles Beach, autographing baseballs and opting for cereal and coffee instead of bagels and lox (smoked salmon) as he talked politics.

"This is how you do it. You do it one vote at a time," Giuliani told a foreign journalist. "I'm glad you're getting to see how American democracy works."

He was the early front-runner, leading national polls for months until his recent fade in Florida.

His decline is likely due to a number of things. But analysts said Giuliani may have suffered from his decision to bypass presidential contests in other states to concentrate on Florida, and his hawkish aim to stay "on the offensive" in the U.S. war on terrorism while war-weary voters became increasingly concerned about economic issues.

(Additional reporting by Tom Brown in Delray Beach, Florida, and Jim Loney in Sunny Isles Beach)

(Editing by Michael Christie and David Alexander)