Discussing the Republican presidential primaries on the January 9 edition of MSNBC's Hardball, Republican strategist John Feehery asserted, “I think [former New York City Mayor] Rudy's [Giuliani] got, you know, he's got the strategy. He's the guy who said, 'Listen, I'm not going to play in these earlier things; I'm going to play in Florida.' ” Feehery added: “He said it early on, and he hasn't used a lot of his resources.” Host Chris Matthews failed to challenge Feehery's contention. In fact, as Media Matters for America has documented, Giuliani told Matt Lauer on NBC's Today on January 8, the day of the New Hampshire primary, that “We've actually spent the most time in New Hampshire and then Florida is right behind that.”

Additionally, ABC News deputy political director Karen Travers and senior political correspondent Jake Tapper reported in a January 8 ABCNews.com article that “statistics compiled by ABC News indicate that he [Giuliani] was clearly competing to win in the Granite State as hard -- if not harder -- than many of his rivals.” Indeed, the article reported: “Statistics compiled by ABC News Political Unit and ABC News' team of off-air reporters indicate that Giuliani held more events in this first-in-the-nation primary state than any other Republican except for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in neighboring Massachusetts. He also spent more on TV ads than anyone except for Romney and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.” Specifically, the article reported that Giuliani held 126 events in New Hampshire and spent $2.5 million on television spots through January 1.

As Media Matters has also documented, Giuliani also stated that he was campaigning in Iowa, made trips to the state, and maintained 12 paid staffers in two offices there.

From the January 9 edition of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews:

MATTHEWS: Yeah, let me ask you about the Republicans. It seems to me that it's very hard for your party to find a leader right now. You've got Rudy waiting in the wings. You've got Fred Thompson talking about South Carolina as his sort of big chance. You've got McCain, who won last night. You've got Romney, who comes in second, came in second last night and also in Iowa. And then you have Mike Huckabee, who won in Iowa. I don't see a front-runner in that pack.

FEEHERY: I look at it as a kind of a big poker game. And Huckabee went all-in in Iowa and won. McCain went all-in in New Hampshire. Now Romney's going all-in -- I think he'll win Michigan. And for Fred Thompson, he's got to go all-in in South Carolina to keep in. And I think Rudy's got, you know, he's got the strategy. He's the guy who said, “Listen, I'm not going to play in these earlier things; I'm going to play in Florida.” He said it early on and he hasn't used a lot of his resources. And I think he's got the one strategy --

MATTHEWS: You could have five winners in five contests the way you're going.

FEEHERY: Absolutely. Absolutely. And for someone like a Rudy Giuliani, who has targeted the big states, you know, he's pretty well positioned. I think Huckabee also is well positioned, because he's going to get a lot of the Southern states. And it could be a convention.

STEVE McMAHON (Democratic strategist): But Rudy has slipped behind in Florida. I mean, his Florida strategy was predicated upon the fact that he would be in the lead in Florida and he's now not in the lead. So it's going to be hard for him to get any attention over the next three weeks between now and Florida, because Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, and John McCain are going to have all of it.

FEEHERY: Well, I'll tell you, I've been in, I was in Florida for the holidays. And he's running a lot of ads. And he's worked hard. And I think the last polls I saw, Rudy's up.

From the January 8 edition of NBC's Today:

MATT LAUER (Today co-host): So, is it true? Is that the strategy? You kind of bypass Iowa and New Hampshire and wait for Florida and New York and California?

GIULIANI: No, I wouldn't put it that way. What I would say is, we put a lot of time and attention into some of the states that are coming up later, like Florida. We've actually spent the most time in New Hampshire and then Florida is right behind that.

LAUER: If you've spent the most time in New Hampshire, how do you feel about where you're polling right now, because you're --

GIULIANI: Well, we'll find out.

LAUER: Because you're polling in the fourth or fifth position. So what's that say about your candidacy?

GIULIANI: We'll find out. We put a lot of time in in New Hampshire. We put an equal amount of time into Florida. And then, in comparison to the other candidates, some of the other candidates put a lot more time into Iowa and New Hampshire. The main thing is, this is a 29-state primary caucus in one month. Whoever wins 16, 18, is going to be in the best position. And it's about message. I think our message of lower taxes, restraint on government spending, our message of remaining on offense in the terrorists' war against us is one that is going to work in enough of the states that we'll get nominated.