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Nov 14, 2007 11:18 am US/Eastern
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Giuliani's First Presidential TV Ad To Air In N.H.
Will Tout Fiscal, Security Record In NYC
WASHINGTON (AP) ―
Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani will air his first television ad of the presidential race Thursday in New Hampshire, a state he's increasingly focused on as he looks for an early voting state win.
In the ad, the former New York mayor promotes his accomplishments, taking credit for stabilizing a financially strapped, dangerous city, and arguing, in essence, that his record on fiscal and security issues outweighs whatever flaws the conservative voters who make up the core of the GOP may perceive.
"I've been tested in a way in which the American people can look to me. They're not going to find perfection, but they're going to find somebody who has dealt with crisis almost on a regular basis and has had results. And in many cases exceptional results. Results people thought weren't possible," Giuliani says, speaking directly to voters.
Until now, the front-runner in national polls has shunned the broad-reach costly television ads typical of a leading candidate.
Instead of TV, Giuliani has chosen the quieter, relatively cheaper avenues of direct mail and radio ads to target voters in New Hampshire and elsewhere.
Aides were in no hurry to run costly television ads for two reasons: He became a national figure following the 2001 terrorist attacks, leaving many people with a positive image of him and a sense that they know him.
He also must preserve his bank account to be able to compete against ultra-wealthy rival Mitt Romney.
But Giuliani's campaign senses opportunity in New Hampshire, and has recently stepped up activity in the state.
His poll numbers are fragile here, and the hope is that TV ads will strengthen them.
The ad's message is ideal for New Hampshire, where tax and spending issues as well as national security outweigh social issues like abortion and gay rights in the minds of GOP primary voters.
"They used to call it unmanageable, ungovernable," Giuliani says, calling New York "a city that was in very, very difficult condition when I became the mayor."
"By the time I left office, New York City was being proclaimed as the best example of conservative government in the country," he said.
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