McCain takes Florida primary over Romney

MIAMI - Sen. John McCain won Florida's Republican primary on Tuesday, apparently ending Rudy Giuliani's hopes for the GOP presidential nomination and taking a critical victory over Mitt Romney in the battle for momentum as the campaign turns to Super Tuesday.

Giuliani will endorse McCain on Wednesday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., a senior member of his campaign told NBC News late Tuesday.

NBC news analyst Howard Fineman reported that sources told him the two campaigns were negotiating details of the deal.

"The responsibility of leadership doesn't end with a single campaign, it goes on and you continue to fight for it," Giuliani said in Orlando, Fla., as supporters with tight smiles crowded behind him. "We ran a campaign that was uplifting."

Asked directly if he was dropping out of the race, Giuliani said only: "I'm going to California."

In the Democrats' primary — a nonbinding contest in which no delegates were at stake — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton finished with the most votes.

Full circle for McCain's candidacy
McCain, meanwhile, solidified his status as the front-runner for the GOP nomination, his candidacy having come full circle in little more than a year.

With nearly all of Florida's 6,913 precincts reporting, McCain had 36 percent of the vote, and Romney had 31 percent. Giuliani was third, Mike Huckabee fourth and Texas Rep. Ron Paul fifth. McCain picked up all 57 of Florida's national convention delegates, the biggest prize so far in an early round of primaries and caucuses.

“Our victory might not have reached landslide proportions, but it is sweet nonetheless,” he told raucous supporters in Miami. Earlier, he told The Associated Press that the win in Florida "shows one thing. I'm the conservative leader who can unite the party."

He was mindful of the challenges ahead, saying: "It's a very significant boost, but I think we've got a tough week ahead and a lot of states to come."

Romney, who has spent millions of dollars of his personal fortune to run for the White House, vowed to stay in the race.

Video Romney: ‘Washington has failed us’ Jan. 29: After a close second-place finish in the Florida primary, Mitt Romney says Washington can’t be changed if you send the ‘same people back just to sit in different chairs.’ MSNBC

"At a time like this, America needs a president in the White House who has actually had a job in the real economy," he told supporters in St. Petersburg.

He issued a call to arms to conservatives to support him, vowing to cut federal spending, end illegal immigration and teach children "that before they have babies, they should get married."

Despite his fourth-place finish in Florida, Huckabee said he was looking ahead to Super Tuesday, Feb. 5, when there are 21 GOP contests.

“We’re playing all nine innings of this ball game,” he told supporters during a campaign stop in St. Louis on Tuesday night. The selection process is “not even close to being over. We’re just really getting started.”

No delegates at stake for Democrats
The Democratic primary was controversial by its very existence, held earlier in the year than national party officials had wanted. That made it a popularity contest with no delegates awarded on the basis of the outcome. Clinton had the most votes, with Sen. Barack Obama finishing second, and former Sen. John Edwards third.

All the Democratic candidates agreed in advance not to campaign in the state. Clinton, who was routed in the South Carolina primary last weekend, repeatedly sought to draw attention to an event she expected to win. Without success, she challenged her rivals to agree to heed the results when it came time to seat delegates at next summer's Democratic National Convention.

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