Rudy Giuliani

U.S. Senator John McCain's presidential campaign today announced the endorsement of former members of Mayor Giuliani's New Jersey Leadership Team. Chairman George Gilmore of Ocean County served as Giuliani's State Chair and will now join John McCain's New Jersey Steering Committee. Mr. Gilmore will be joined by other former leaders of Mayor Giuliani's campaign in New Jersey, including U.S. Congressman Frank LoBiondo, former Governor Donald DiFrancesco and Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean, Jr.

John McCain’s campaign will announce endorsements from thirteen Republican County Chairs that had been supporting Rudy Giuliani for President, and from Senate Minority Leader Thomas Kean, Jr. and other legislators.  There are two holdouts: Sussex GOP Chairman Richard Zeoli, who has not decided if he will endorse any of the candidates before Tuesday’s primary; and Middlesex GOP Chairman Joseph Leo, largely because  no one could reach him to ask.

Rep. Frank LoBiondo will endorse John McCain for the GOP presidential nomination today. LoBiondo had been backing Rudy Giuliani.

The vast majority of Rudy Giuliani’s New Jersey supporters are expected to endorse John McCain today, and pundits on both sides appear certain that McCain is the heavy favorite to win New Jersey’s winner-take-all primary on Tuesday. McCain will be in New Jersey on Monday, holding a rally at the Colonial Fire House in Hamilton; Rudy Giuliani is expected to accompany him.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who ended his bid for the GOP presidential nomination earlier this evening, is expected to join Sen. John McCain at a rally in Hamilton on Monday -- the day before the New Jersey presidential primary. 

Sen. Joe KyrillosFormer Mayor Rudy Giuliani is endorsing Sen. John McCain for president, and the McCain camp in New Jersey anticipates welcoming into its collective arms that grim exodus of former Giuliani supporters.

"What will happen, presuming published reports are somewhat accurate, is that a good portion of them will be joining us," said Larry Bathgate, national finance co-chairman of the McCain campaign.

Sen. Joe Kyrillos, state chairman of the Mitt Romney Presidential Campaign, hopes to stem the stampede. Today he corraled at least some former Giuliani partisans, dislodged from Giuliani's ranks after the former mayor's devastating loss in the Florida primary on Tuesday.

Following his disappointing third-place finish in Florida on Tuesday, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani is expected to drop his presidential bid today and endorse Sen. John McCain, sending GOP operators around New Jersey into BlackBerry heat-seeking mode.

Senators Bil Baroni (McCain's state campaign chairman) and fellow McCain-backer Kevin O'Toole naturally believe Giuliani's supporters in New Jersey will find refuge in the McCain camp rather than in that of former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney, who placed second in Florida and is still in the presidential hunt.

Romney State Campaign Director Joseph Kyrillos will be pressing the case for the Giuliani wayfarers to join Team Mitt.

Burlington County GOP Chairman Bill Layton is expected to endorse John McCain for President, shifting the powerful GOP organization to McCain one week before the New Jersey presidential primary.  Layton’s predecessor, Col. Michael Warner, had previously backed Rudy Giuliani, and had delivered the backing of many local Republican leaders to the Giuliani camp.

In an Atlantic County Republican Committee straw poll this morning, Sen. John McCain bested former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani by a vote of 34-17, according to chairman Keith Davis.

In third place, former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney received 10 votes, followed by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee with seven votes and U.S. Rep Ron Paul with two votes.

"This is a confirmation that conservative Republicans are rallying around McCain's message," said Davis, who endorsed the Arizona senator last summer.