Palisades resident and 2002 Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Simon has joined the leadership of Rudolph Giuliani’s Presidential Exploratory Committee, where he will direct the former New York City mayor’s California political and fundraising campaign as well as direct his national political platform. Giuliani formally announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for President last weekend at the state GOP convention in Sacramento, and he has been spending much of his time fundraising and campaigning throughout the state. ‘I’ve been on the road for 11 days,’ said Simon, who spoke to the Palisadian-Post from his San Diego hotel Tuesday afternoon, near the end of a statewide tour. ‘We’ve been working around the clock, and I would say I’m a little tired.’ Since his announcement in Sacramento on Saturday, Giuliani and his California staff have crisscrossed the state. They traveled west to San Francisco, south to Stanford and Silicon Valley and east to Visalia in the San Joaquin Valley. By Tuesday, the campaign had landed in San Diego. Simon began working for then-U.S. Attorney Giuliani in 1985 in New York City, and the two have been friends ever since. ‘We’ve spent nearly every waking moment together on the campaign,’ Simon said. ‘He’s a great guy. And in many ways it’s been like coming home.’ In late January, Simon and his wife, Cindy, held a fundraiser for Giuliani at their Huntington home that attracted Hollywood supporters like actor Adam Sandler and Paramount Chairman Brad Grey. Political observers say that Giuliani will have to overcome his socially moderate’or even liberal’image to win the Republican nomination. States like California with socially moderate voters and large pools of campaign funds could play a decisive role for Giuliani’s bid. But California’s late caucus date has historically diminished its power over picking presidential nominees. There is currently legislation pending to move the state primary from June to February, which would place it among the first primaries. Simon says that an earlier primary date for California would help Giuliani’s campaign, but he’s not going to count on it. ‘Rudy is a well-known individual,’ Simon said. ‘His name I.D. is as good as you can get. And I think he can win.’ In the coming months, Simon’s job will be to distinguish Giuliani from a competitive Republican field that includes Arizona Senator John McCain and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. And the self-described policy wonk is relishing his new role as campaign staffer, rather than candidate. ‘I’m enjoying working for somebody else,’ said Simon, who lost the governor’s race in 2002 to then-Governor Gray Davis. ‘When you run for public office, you have to constantly ask people for support. It’s been refreshing to ask for support for someone else.’ ————— Reporting by Staff Writer Max Taves. E-mail: reporter@palipost.com Phone: (310) 985-1607 ext. 28.
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