Race42008 reports that Rudy Giuliani has filed a statement of candidacy with the FEC, paving the way for an official Presidential run.

Meanwhile, both a lot and a little has been happening in the Republican primary race. I say both a lot and a little because there’s has been a lot of reporting but very little change in the dynamics of the race to go along with it. Romney continues his failure to gain traction, polling behind Newt in just about every state, further justifying my December claim that “Romney is not a viable candidate”.

Commentators are beginning to pick up on something else I said in that post back in December, and that’s the fact that Rudy Giuliani is the sole front-runner. This is largely due to the fact that McCain’s “inevitability” aura never extended beyond the beltway. Rank and file conservatives are far less enamored with him than his admirers in the media suppose.

Dick Morris (Hat tip: another race42008 post):

Until now, the status of front-runner in the Republican primaries for president was jointly held by Arizona Sen. John McCain and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. McCain is clearly no longer the front-runner. In the last week or so, Giuliani has moved out to a clear lead.

. . .Conversations with conservative activists also show a remarkable openness to supporting Giuliani – a belief that he can overcome (perhaps finesse) his pro-choice, pro-gun-control, pro-gay-rights and pro-immigration positions. Feelings seem bitterer over McCain?s role in Washington battles – his opposition to the Bush tax cuts and his support for ?amnesty? for illegal immigrants and for campaign-finance reform.

Giuliani has developed an effective parry to charges that his pro-choice stance would undo eight years of pro-life heavy lifting by the Bush administration. He?s saying he?d oppose partial-birth abortion and work to continue to curtail Medicaid funding for abortion. More, he?d appoint judges like Justices Samuel Alito and John Roberts to the Supreme Court.

I’ve believed all along that Rudy’s strongest counter to the concerns of social conservatives is his record of support for strict constructionist judges, or what Scalia prefers be called originalists. Rudy has said on several occasions that he would have made Scalia his Chief Justice. Assuming he is to be believed, for which I have no reason to doubt, that statement alone can do a lot to bring weary social conservatives, who otherwise support his strong leadership and fiscal conservatism, into the Giuliani camp.

And, finally, I can’t talk about 2008 without turning to Newt Gingrich. The perennial favorite of conservatives everywhere is staunchly maintaining, in the face of rising poll numbers, his position that he won’t decide whether or not to enter the race until September.

Nonetheless, or perhaps consequently, the Draft Newt campaign has officially begun. Can it deliver a tide of grass roots support capable of ushering the right’s greatest idea man into the White House? It’s hard to say, though there are ample reasons to believe the odds are against him. Nevertheless, it may just be enough to thrust him onto somebody’s ticket in the VP slot. A Giuliani/Gingrich ticket is looking better and better to me.

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