The State's Lee Bandy reports that rank-and-file Republican voters are still looking for their candidate, especially those in South Carolina where tomorrow's second GOP presidential debate will be held. There are some wild cards that will determine how the S.C.'s Republican primary will play out such as the candidates' performances in New Hampshire; whether former Bush voters will swing their support to John McCain; and finally whether the state votes on Feb 2. as scheduled or earlier, possibly even in 2007.
One of the main forces acting on South Carolina is Florida where the GOP is preparing for a wide-open primary, reports The Politico's Jonathan Martin. The state is demographically similar to the rest of the U.S. and, unlike other states, there are no political machines. Given the personality driven aspect of Fla. politics, Gov. Charlie Crist and predecessor Jeb Bush will be important figures in the race -- Crist is rumored to favor McCain. Even without the governor's endorsement, McCain can draw support from Florida's military population, while Mitt Romney is banking on his field operations. Though Giuliani hasn't built organization in Florida yet, there are thousands of New Yorkers who've moved to Florida since Giuliani's years as mayor, though they must be registered Republicans to vote for him in the primary.
Giuliani's handling of Ground Zero recovery and clean-up may cloud his legacy, writes the New York Times' Anthony DePalma. The gist of the controversy is that the city "never meaningfully enforced federal requirements that those at the site wear respirators," while his administration told companies they'd face penalties if work on the site slowed. Thousands of firefighters and recovery workers have had respiratory problems.
Giuliani's campaign is encouraging him to participate in the Ames, Iowa, straw poll this August but Giuliani has the final say, reports Thomas Beaumont of the Des Moines Register. The straw poll would be the first test of Giuliani's "oft-stated assertion that he can withstand social conservatives' differences with him on some key social issues, such as his support for abortion rights." If Giuliani doesn't show, it could either make the poll and Iowa look less important or draw more attention to his differences with Republicans.
On the Democratic side, Bill Clinton is playing a bigger role in Hillary Clinton's campaign than seen in public, reports the New York Times' Patrick Healy. Mr. Clinton has been galvanizing new support and raking in money. Next year he may even have his own "campaign plane, press corps and schedule of events in crucial states" while his wife campaigns elsewhere. For now though, Mr. Clinton doesn't participate directly in the campaign, instead circulating his advice through his wife, pollster and strategist Mark Penn and a few others. Members of the campaign say Mrs. Clinton will not "make the Al Gore mistake" and distance herself from her husband's administration's record, which is seen as an asset.
Get these and today's other elections stories at RCP's Politics and Elections page.