On January 9, a USA Today editorial stated that Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani “finished dismally in New Hampshire, but his ignore-the-little-states strategy could pay off with a Jan. 29 win in Florida, where polls show him narrowly ahead of [Mike] Huckabee.” Additionally, on the January 9 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, radio talk-show host Michael Reagan asserted that Giuliani is “going to go down as a fool or a genius in what he's doing in this campaign,” adding, “He's sitting down in Florida. By the time they [the primaries] get to Florida, they may not even remember who Rudy Giuliani is.” Democratic strategist Bob Beckel responded: "[I]f Rudy Giuliani thinks he can sit down there [in Florida] and let five contests go by and everybody's just gonna come to him, I mean, I just -- it defies any kind of strategic plan that I've ever seen before." In fact, the previous day, Giuliani denied that he was “bypass[ing]” New Hampshire.

On the January 8 edition of NBC's Today, co-host Matt Lauer asked Giuliani: “Is that the strategy? You kind of bypass Iowa and New Hampshire and wait for Florida and New York and California?” Giuliani replied: “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.”

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.

From the article:

Though former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has generally attributed his fourth place finish in New Hampshire to a campaign strategy that focuses on larger, delegate-rich states holding later contests, statistics compiled by ABC News indicate that he was clearly competing to win in the Granite State as hard -- if not harder -- than many of his rivals.

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.

[...]

A Herculean Effort in New Hampshire

Before the Iowa caucuses, Giuliani told ABC News that he was campaigning “proportionately throughout the country,” meaning that instead of Iowa and New Hampshire he was focusing on Florida, which will hold its primary Jan. 29, and the delegate-rich states such as California and New York holding their contests along with approximately 20 other states on Super Duper Tuesday, Feb. 5.

But Giuliani's effort here has been Herculean. Romney held 176 events in New Hampshire through Tuesday, primary day, while Giuliani held 126. That's considerably more than McCain, who held 104, and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who held 93.

Moreover, Giuliani held more events in New Hampshire than either Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., or Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., who are favored to come in first and second (not necessarily in that order) on the Democrats' side.

More Money on More Television Ads

According to the Campaign Media Analysis Group, Giuliani has spent more money on TV ads in New Hampshire -- $2.5 million through Jan. 1, 2008 -- than any other Republican, with the exceptions of Romney ($7.3 million) and McCain ($3.5 million).

GOP rivals Huckabee and Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, who remained competitive with Giuliani in these last few weeks, spent $100,000 and less than $1 million on TV ads, respectively.

After downplaying the early states, in the fall when Romney's support in the state began growing soft, Giuliani's campaign indicated he was going to compete here, and spent millions on TV ads.

Further, on the January 5 edition of Fox News' The Journal Editorial Report, Wall Street Journal deputy editorial page editor Daniel Henninger said of Giuliani, “He's skipping New Hampshire.” After host and Journal editorial page editor Paul Gigot stated, “He'll make a foray up there,” Henninger agreed, saying, “He'll make a foray there.” However, available information and media reports contradict Henninger's claim that Giuliani was “skipping” New Hampshire.

• According to the website Democracy in Action, through December 27, Giuliani had made 24 visits and spent 34 days in New Hampshire. His 24 visits were second among Republicans only to Romney's 36.
• On December 11, The Wall Street Journal reported: “As his lead narrowed in the past month, Mr. Giuliani has unleashed a blizzard of television ads in New Hampshire touting his economic record in New York and his toughness on terrorism.”
• According to Giuliani's campaign website, his presidential committee launched its “first television ad of the campaign” on November 14 in New Hampshire.
• The Giuliani campaign website also states that his presidential committee began running radio advertisements in New Hampshire and Iowa on July 24.
• According to an October 29 article in the Politico, Giuliani “improved his poll numbers” in New Hampshire by “waging an intensive campaign on the radio airwaves, a popular medium in New Hampshire, and sent at least eight mailings to potential primary voters.” Giuliani's campaign manager reportedly told the Politico that New Hampshire was important to them:

“I think you're on to something,” quipped Mike DuHaime, Giuliani's campaign manager, acknowledging a “more aggressive” effort in the state since the end of the summer.

“We see New Hampshire as a great opportunity,” DuHaime said, saying the campaign has “gained ground there.”

Media Matters for America has noted that media outlets have similarly reported that Giuliani skipped the Iowa caucuses despite the trips he made to that state and the paid staff he maintained there.

From the January 9 USA Today editorial:

McCain's win, on the heels of Mike Huckabee's victory in Iowa five days earlier, leaves the Republicans with the sort of chaotic, wide-open race usually associated with Democrats. Romney, seriously wounded after staking his strategy on Iowa and New Hampshire, makes what could be his last stand next week in Michigan, where his father was governor. And Rudy Giuliani was both a loser and potential winner: He finished dismally in New Hampshire, but his ignore-the-little-states strategy could pay off with a Jan. 29 win in Florida, where polls show him narrowly ahead of Huckabee.

From the January 9 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends:

BRIAN KILMEADE (co-host): You know, I've gotta be nice to Michael Reagan, too.

BECKEL: Please.

REAGAN: Thank you.

KILMEADE: Michael, on the other side, really no surprise. Senator McCain was rumored to be up, and he does pull off the upset and beats Mitt Romney. Nobody from Massachusetts ever lost in New Hampshire.

REAGAN: Yeah, well, you know, what happened there was, I think they went with somebody they knew. He won in 2000. Bob Beckel said he would win a year ago. And I think the Republican Party is looking for somebody who is steady and own their issues. John McCain owned his issues. He won in New Hampshire.

It's a two-person race right now, really, between probably Mitt Romney and John McCain. The big loser last night was not Mike Huckabee. The big loser was Rudy Giuliani. He's going to go down as a fool or a genius in what he's doing in this campaign. He's sitting down in Florida. By the time they get to Florida, they may not even remember who Rudy Giuliani is. Huge mistake for Rudy Giuliani. It's a two-person race right now between McCain and Mitt. Mitt can get well in Michigan coming up next week.

BECKEL: You know, Mike -- Mike is exactly right on this. If you look at how these polls changed dramatically after Iowa -- yeah, it didn't work out for Obama. But if Rudy Giuliani thinks he can sit down there and let five contests go by and everybody's just gonna come to him, I mean, I just -- it defies any kind of strategic plan that I've ever seen before.

From the January 8 edition of NBC's Today:

LAUER: 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.

From the January 5 edition of Fox News' The Journal Editorial Report:

GIGOT: All right. And Dan, Rudy Giuliani --

HENNINGER: I was just going to say --

GIGOT: Parking in Florida between now and January 29. Is he -- he's the forgotten man. Is he still in this race?

HENNINGER: Well, that just shows how strange this campaign has been, that we got to this point in the conversation without mentioning Giuliani's name. Yeah, he's down there in Florida. He's skipping New Hampshire. He thinks -- and I think he's got a point.

GIGOT: He'll make a foray up there.

HENNINGER: He'll make a foray there. And then he's going to run on Super Tuesday out across the South and remain the national candidate. It's bizarre.

GIGOT: So we still have a Republican primary campaign here which is wide open. Nobody knows what's going to happen. It's going to be fun to watch.