Giuliani slips in the polls

DES MOINES, Iowa, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- A lackluster couple of weeks on the campaign trail has taken a toll on Rudy Giuliani's bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

The former New York mayor has slipped in the polls as GOP rivals Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney have taken up much of the media spotlight in early voting states such as Iowa, The Boston Globe reported Sunday.

All the while, Giuliani is focusing on later-voting states, including California and Oklahoma, which both of which will hold primaries Feb. 5, known as Super Tuesday.

Recent polls show Giuliani in third in Iowa and slipping in South Carolina, which will hold its primary Jan. 19.

In New Hampshire, which will hold the first primary Jan. 8, polls last week showed him a distant second to Romney in one and third in two others, the newspaper reported.

Giuliani's slip in the polls began about two weeks ago amid revelations that he might have as mayor used additional city resources when taking trips to Long Island for an extramarital affair with his now-wife Judith Nathan.