The Week

Well, at least his team won the Super Bowl.

Rudy Giuliani bowed out after a weak third-place finish in Florida, his self-defined must-win state. Unavoidable liabilities and a bad strategy combined to undo him. Giuliani always had baggage: his longtime support of abortion; his hostility to gun ownership and his open-borders rhetoric (both souvenirs of his days as mayor). He had tacked right here and there, pledging most notably to nominate judges like John Roberts and Sam Alito. But he had to prove that he had converted-or argue that his strengths on other issues made conversion unnecessary. Betting the house on Florida denied him the opportunity to do so. The endless Republican debates were not enough to get such a message out; he needed to be in the trenches even in states he was bound to lose (pro-life Iowa, gun-toting New Hampshire). He leaves behind a city grateful for his eight years in office and a nation grateful for his last four months.

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Presidential Election

Well, at least his team won the Super Bowl.

Rudy Giuliani bowed out after a weak third-place finish in Florida, his self-defined must-win state. Unavoidable liabilities and a bad strategy combined to undo him. Giuliani always had baggage: his longtime support of abortion; his hostility to gun ownership and his open-borders rhetoric (both souvenirs of his days as mayor). He had tacked right here and there, pledging most notably to nominate judges like John Roberts and Sam Alito. But he had to prove that he had converted-or argue that his strengths on other issues made conversion unnecessary. Betting the house on Florida denied him the opportunity to do so. The endless Republican debates were not enough to get such a message out; he needed to be in the trenches even in states he was bound to lose (pro-life Iowa, gun-toting New Hampshire). He leaves behind a city grateful for his eight years in office and a nation grateful for his last four months.