(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-01-30 15:31

Washington -  US Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani will announce plans to drop out the presidential race and endorse John McCain as their party's White House candidate, CNN reported on Tuesday.

The report came after Giuliani, the former New York mayor, ended his lame performance in the Florida primary in third place with 15 percent of votes.

"The responsibility of leadership doesn't end with a single campaign, it goes on and you continue to fight for it," Giuliani told supporters at a post-primary rally in Florida.

When asked if he would drop out of the race, Giuliani said only: "I'm going to California," one of the 22 US states that will hold primaries and caucuses on February 5.

Driven by a "big-state strategy," Giuliani concentrated his campaign fund and time on Florida's primary, whose rule is "winner-take-all," and almost skipped all the other states that held earlier primaries and caucuses.

However, the once-leading candidate in the national poll could hardly make it to the top two on Tuesday night, virtually indicating the failure of his strategy.

Giuliani has stayed in Florida for almost a month, trying to boost support with his plans for tax cuts, national security agenda and experience gained in his efforts after the September 11 terror attacks. But what he has credited himself with was overshadowed by McCain, who is more experienced in defense and foreign affairs.

According to the exit poll by CNN, Giuliani was left behind in fourth place on 14 percent when voters were asked to pick the candidate who is most capable of handling the economy. Even on the terrorism issue where he is in a more advantageous position, only 25 percent of voters preferred him, while McCain and Mitt Romney got 26 percent and 29 percent of support respectively.

On electability, Giuliani also ended in third with 11 percent, compared to Romney's 33 percent and McCain's 46 percent.