WASHINGTON, Jan. 21 (UPI) -- Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani said a loss in Florida's primary this month could be "crippling" to his campaign.
Giuliani, once considered the front-runner for the GOP nomination, has finished last in five of the first six presidential-nominating contests and now lags in the national polls, The Washington Times reported Monday.
For the former New York mayor, the Sunshine State is "our home field," he told the newspaper.
"It's like going down to the fourth quarter: You know you're a really good fourth-quarter team -- you've got to score three touchdowns," Giuliani said. "You know you can do it, but you also know everything's got to go right for you.
"A loss, and a bad loss, could be crippling."
Giuliani said in each of the state contests held to date, it has been a battle between two or three candidates, none of whom have been able to build lasting momentum following a win.
"The results in all the other primaries have created a wide-open field, and I think we get some help from that. This is still a very wide-open race," he said.
