Giuliani takes a break before fall campaign

By Brian C. Mooney, Globe Staff

Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani is the middle of a week-long break from his presidential campaign before cranking up after Labor Day. That's when a four- or five-month sprint to the early nomination contests begins.

The Republican's most recent public appearances were Monday and he doesn't have another event until Tuesday, when he is scheduled to be in Mississippi, which is among the later contests, with a March 11 primary.

On Wednesday, Giuliani plans to be in New Hampshire for the GOP debate at the University of New Hampshire.

"He's taking a bit of breather" in New York, an aide said.

Most other candidates, Democrats and Republicans, are taking a day or more off in the run-up to Labor Day, the traditional kickoff to the fall campaign season, when the pace will quicken. But Giuliani is taking the closest thing to a vacation.

Going forward, Giuliani's itinerary has at least one very distinctive side trip, Sept. 19 to London to deliver the inaugural Margaret Thatcher Atlantic Bridge lecture. The Atlantic Bridge is a conservative think tank that promotes British-US links. Giuliani is also planning to raise some campaign coin (the maximum individual donation would be about 1,140 pounds sterling) among US expats.