Giuliani behind in home state, polls say

By Brian C. Mooney, Globe Staff

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, his campaign reeling from two polls showing him trailing John McCain in his home state, is scheduled to leave Florida Tuesday to return to New York for fundraising events.

Siena College and Zogby International, both based in New York state, released polls today. In the Siena survey, McCain led Giuliani by a 36 percent to 24 percent margin, with Mitt Romney third at 10 percent. In the Zogby poll, Giuliani trailed McCain, 24 to 21 percent with Romney third at 14 percent. Twenty percent said they were "not sure."

Giuliani was running third among voters surveyed in traditionally Republican upstate New York, Zogby said, though the results were a statistical tie because of the margin of error of the survey. A Siena poll in December showed Giuliani with a 33-point lead over the senator from Arizona.

Giuliani's campaign said he is returning to New York City Tuesday afternoon to attend fundraising events. Giuliani, whose once-commanding leads in national, Florida, and many other state polls, has disappeared, has been campaigning in Florida for almost two weeks. Giuliani's campaign has been operating on an extremely unconventional strategy, bypassing most of the early-voting states to concentrate on Florida, which holds its primary on Jan. 29.

A Rasmussen Reports survey Sunday of 754 likely Republican voters in the Florida primary showed Romney leading McCain, 25 percent to 20 percent, with Giuliani a close third, at 19 percent. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee was fourth at 13 percent. The poll's margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points.