The former New York mayor hailed for his leadership after the September 11, 2001 attacks has taken a first step towards a presidential campaign in 2008. Giuliani, a Republican, has filed the documents to form an exploration committee for a run to succeed President George W. Bush in the White House, according to media reports. Giuliani s spokeswoman, Sunny Mindel, had no comment. The former mayor joins a long list of potential candidates in each party who are expected to begin vying for the White House over the next few months. Politicians considering a run often announce their intentions, or begin to gauge public support and their fundraising capacity in weeks following a midterm election. Governor Tom Vilsack (Iowa) was the first Democrat to formally declare his candidacy last Thursday, while Representative Duncan Hunter (California), current chairman of the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, became the first Republican to declare. Both men are considered relative long-shot candidates. The two presumed front-runners, Democratic Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (New York) and Republican Senator John McCain (Arizona) have yet to officially declare candidacy. I am going to sit down with my family over the holidays and make that decision, McCain said Sunday on NBC s Meet the Press. McCain unsuccessfully sought his party s nomination in the 2000 election. Democratic Senator Joe Biden (Delaware) said this weekend that he still planned to run, and Illinois Senator Barack Obama (Democrat) has also said he is considering a campaign.
