Giuliani, Huckabee Have Warm Exchange in Frigid Race
MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Show up at the polls in Manchester on the day of the primary and you're bound to run into someone you know. For Rudy Giuliani, it was Mike Huckabee.
"Let me say hello to him," Giuliani told his campaign folks as he headed to his car after greeting voters before dawn at the Brookside Congregational Church.
"Mayor!" shouted Huckabee. "May I have your vote today?"
"I don't think any of us can vote today," replied Giuliani, laughing.
Huckabee shook the former mayor's hand as he made a proposal: "Same day registration?"
The warmth displayed between the two Republican rivals penetrated the cold New Hampshire morning, where the two could see their breath as they made their final pushes for support here.
Patting Giuliani on the shoulder, Huckabee joked, "You know, we could bang on your car – that'd be a photo!"
"Ha!" said Giuliani. "See you in South Carolina…"
Neither candidate is expected to win today's primary, where John McCain and Mitt Romney lead in the polls. Although Giuliani was referring to Thursday night's debate in South Carolina, the state could be a battleground between Giuliani, who hopes to use it as a touchstone to win Florida, and Huckabee who wants to continue the momentum from his victory in Iowa.