Giuliani backs 'hero' McCain

“America’s mayor” Rudy Giuliani stood side-by-side with John McCain as he gave the Republican front-runner his support for the party’s presidential nomination.

The former New York mayor pulled out of the race after his campaign tactics of focusing on Florida and ignoring early states backfired with a poor result in the state’s primary election on Tuesday night.

Arizona senator Mr McCain now heads to next week’s Super Tuesday, when more than 20 states will go to the polls, with fresh momentum with Mitt Romney appearing to be the only man who can stop him securing the Republican nomination.

Speaking at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, Mr Giuliani said he was “very proud to endorse my friend, and fellow Republican, a hero, John McCain”.

“When you run for president of the United States, you spend a lot of time thinking about what qualities you would want in the chief executive of the United States,” he said.

“Someone who can be trusted in the times of crisis; someone with a clear vision of the challenges facing our nation; someone with the will and perseverance to get great goals accomplished.

“Obviously I thought I was that person; the voters made a different choice.

“I made it clear at different times during this campaign that if I had not decided to run… the one person in this country who I clearly would have supported for president of the United States would have been John McCain, and that came from the heart.”

He announced his official withdrawal as a candidate and added: “John McCain is the most qualified candidate to be the next commander-in-chief of the United States. He is an American hero, and America could use heroes in the White House.”

He said Mr McCain was “a man of honour and integrity”, a man who had “shown character throughout his life” and who had come from “way behind to way ahead” in the race.

“I can rest, very assured for myself, for my children and for all the people that we care about so much, that this is a man prepared to be president of the United States at a time of great peril,” he said.

Laughing, he added: “I’m going to campaign with John as much as he wants – or not – depending on if I’m in trouble or not at that particular point.

“When I believe in a man, like I do John McCain, this will become to me as important as my own election was.”

Mr McCain said he was “deeply honoured” and would never forget how Mr Giuliani reunited the nation after the “terrible evil” of the September 11 terror attacks in 2001.

“This man is a national hero,” Mr McCain said.

“I’m honoured by his friendship and I’m honoured to know a person who played such a great role in uniting the United States of America after one of its greatest tragedies was inflicted on it.”

Mr Giuliani, who was hailed as “America’s mayor” after his work following the September 11 attacks, had little success in his election campaign.

His tactics failed as he spent more than $30m (€20m) and more than 50 days campaigning in Florida to no avail.

He believed the race to the White House was all about keeping Americans safe in the war on terror – but it was the economy which voters repeatedly said was a key issue.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will endorse John McCain today, six days before the state’s primary, his aides said.

The two will appear at a news conference after touring a Los Angeles-based solar energy company.

Mr McCain and Mr Schwarzenegger have been friends for years, but Mr Schwarzenegger has always stopped short of endorsing Mr McCain, given that Mr Giuliani, another friend, was also in the race.

Democrat John Edwards has also dropped out of the presidential race.

Speaking to a crowd in New Orleans yesterday, Mr Edwards said it was time to step aside “so that history can blaze its path” in the race between a black man and a woman for the White House.

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are the party’s front runners.