Hi everybody. David Brody here in Orlando, Fla., at the beautiful Loews Portofino Bay Hotel. It is where Rudy Giuliani's headquarters will be tonight in the state of Florida, and where I will be bringing you live updates.
Robin will also be bringing you updates from Mitt Romney central.
Comments? Send David or Robin an e-mail.
10:05 p.m.- David
Well folks, that's a wrap from Giuliani headquarters. I just went up to Mike DuHaime, Giuliani's campaign manager and I asked him if Rudy was going to California tomorrow -for the debate-. He told me yes.
Then I asked him this, "And after that?" And he replied, "We're going to California" and then gave me a slight smile. In other words folks, as Don Drysdale used to sing at the end of Monday Night Football, "The Party's over."
Some of the major networks are now confirming that Giuliani will endorse McCain Wednesday in California. Guess what? We're going to California! And not to the beach. We'll be there folks.
Stick with CBN News on all of this. For now, blessings to all of you!
10 p.m. - Robin
Amazing! We're still here and so are the people.
We're packing our equipment up now. We've got a pretty long drive ahead of us. It's going to take us a little more than an hour to get back to Orlando, so we've got to take off.
Once we get back, we have to dowload our video, so it can be edited into Brody's 700 Club story for tomorrow morning. Since I've listened to the speech, I'll give Brody a rundown of all the highlights and then I'll pick his quote.
As always guest blogging for The Brody File has been fun! Hint, hint, hint.
9:48 p.m. - Robin
Even though Romney has finished his speech, everyone's still milling around. The mad dash to the door that I've seen at other campaign parties isn't happening here.
People seem to be in a generally good mood. They're talking, laughing and eating. Romney is signing autographs and shaking hands. He is really working this crowd.
They're playing "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey, and people are dancing and singing. Is this a party or what? Refresh my memory -- who won tonight?
9:46 p.m. - Robin
Romney just finished the meat of his speech. He thanked the crowd and his wife, who is now standing beside him. Mrs. Romney told supporters they are in it for the long haul. She said that this is not an ending, it is a send off.
9:40 p.m. - Robin
Romney says the right course for America is to strengthen our people and the best way to do that is to change our government. "Change will begin with us," he said.
9:36 p.m. - Robin
Romney's telling the crowd that it's time for America to build strong familes. He says we should tell our kids that "before they have babies they should get married."
This statement was greated with loud cheers. He says the country must also strengthen our military and our economy. Romney says our country needs a President that has "actually had a job in the real economy."
9:35 p.m - David
Some people in the crowd are now crying. They know the end is near. Look, Giuliani voters are dedicated to their guy. It's an emotional thing because they think he'd be the best President.
9:35 p.m - Robin
Romney is telling the crowd that "even our values are under attack."
He says that the American people have asked the government to fix social security and balance the budget, but they haven't.
Romney is wearing his emotions on his sleeve tonight. I've heard him speak several times before, but this is a different Romney. He's speaking with an extra amount of passion and conviction.
9:32 p.m. - David
Giuliani's now thanking his staff. This is defntely a goodbye speech. It's like the closing credits to a political campaign. Florida was the firewall and McCain and Romney burned it down.
9:32 p.m. - Robin
Romney's speaking now. "Almost, but not quite," he said. "You are my heroes. You worked your hearts out and made me a contender."
Romney says he called McCain and congratulated him on his win.
9:30 p.m. - Robin
Romney has taken the stage he's about to speak. Everyone is cheering "Mitt, Mitt, Mitt!" They're waving their red foam mitts in the air.
9:27 p.m. - David
I'm looking over at Giuliani's campaign manager Mike DuHaime. He has his head down and you can tell he's reflective and a tad bit sad. I've gotten to know Mike, and this guy is super smart. He was up against it with a candidate that didn't play well in some of these real conservative states. That's tough.
9:27 p.m. - Robin
Romney officials here say the race is now down to two people: McCain and Romney.
9:25 p.m. - David
Giuliani says he's glad he ran a positive campaign. Now he's reciting his 12 commitments that he made to the American people. This defintely feels like a goodbye speech. Feels like the end of the road. Now the crowd's chanting "Rudy, Rudy," and someone yelled "They'll be sorry."
9:23 p.m. - David
Giuliani's congratulating McCain and Romney and Huckabee and Ron Paul. Called all of them honorable men. He says win or lose the work is not done. Folks here have a love affair for Rudy.
9:21 p.m. - David
Rudy Giuliani just took the stage. Crowd going crazy. They love him here. Someone in the crowd just yelled "It's not over til it's over"
9:18 p.m. - David
McCain winning may have simply come down to the fact that McCain is appealing to people's patriotism. The war hero in a post 9/11 world is resonating.
9:17 p.m. - David
Giuliani is about to speak. McCain has won Florida.
9:15 p.m. - Robin
The cheering has stop. Fox News and CNN just projected McCain the winner. The cheering has stopped. People are standing around talking and they're pretty upset. Word is that Romney will speak soon.
9 p.m. - David
I interviewed the actor Jon Voight a few minutes ago. He's been stumping for Giuliani on the trail. (
Watch the interview here.)
8:59 p.m. - David
The Page, which is Mark Halperin's excellent political plog is reporting the following:
Giuliani expected to endorse McCain, as early as Wednesday - in Los Angeles or Simi Valley. Now that the Sunshine has set, two old friends come to an understanding. McCain topper Rick Davis has quietly moved an agreement to near final.
If this is true, the spin will be that it helps McCain. I'm not so sure. Romney can now say that he's the true conservative in the race and McCain and Giuliani have all along represented the moderate to liberal wing of the party. Stay tuned for more analysis.
8:52 p.m. - David
What is going on over there at Romney headquarters with the food? You guys are getting all this food and i got zilch! Nada! Nothing!
I mean, the least the NEW YORK mayor could do was get me a Knish and bagels and lox. Instead, I'm heading to the vending machine and searching for Twizzlers. Clearly, Giuliani is coming in third place in the food department, too.
8:50 p.m. - David
Giuliani will speak at 9 p.m. The word just came down from the Giuliani campaign. He's going to give his concession speech
8:40 p.m. - Robin
Jonah and I are being treated like royalty over here at Romney headquarters. They just put out more food for the media. Now we can chose from an assortment of cheeses, including brie, cheddar, American and pepper jack. Plus they brought out a very tasty chicken satay. Yum!
8:25 p.m. - Robin
Lawyer Barbara Comstock and I just finished chatting about the closeness of this race. Right now the polls put McCain ahead by one percentage point. It's 34 percent to 33 percent. ( Watch Comstock here.)
Comstock said the closeness and competitiveness of this race is very exciting for the Republican Party. I asked her if that's what the GOP needs, given recent analysis by pundits that have said the GOP isn't as excited as the Democrats.
Comsock said she believes that Romney's unique economic message and success as Gov. of Massachusetts has experience and conservative views will reignite the party.
8:15 p.m. - Robin
It's a one point race right now. Even though McCain is ahead spirits are high, sources close to the campaign feel confident that Romney will win.
8 p.m. - David
The biggest star here tonight is actor Jon Voight. He's going around signing autographs. People are mobbing him. ( Watch Jon Voight here.)
That might be the most excitement all night here if these polls results continue to go the way they're going.
Look, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the polls in Florida and across this country indicate we have a two way race for the Republican nomination: McCain and Romney.
What was Giuliani's main problem? He was simply a non-factor in too many of the early primary states. I remember a Giuliani campaign source telling me this past summer that Giuliani had to at least finish in the top three. He didn't, It was a distant fifth. It's one thing to lose a state. It's quite another not to even be competitive. It sends a signal to the rest of the country that he may not be the guy.
7:50 p.m. - Robin
I met the most adorable 12-year old named Christian a few minutes ago. ( Watch him here.) Earlier this year, he had a school project that required him to research a candidate. Christian chose Romney because his mom supported him.
The youngster learned about Romney's business background and was especially impressed with his Dominoes accomplishments. Christian liked Romney so much he said he would "vote for Romney if he was old enough to vote."
By the way… he got an A on his report
7:40 p.m. - Robin
Poll numbers are slowly starting to trickle in and Romney and Sen. John McCain are neck and neck.
I just finished a conversation with former Sen. Jim Talent who said the closeness of this race is a good thing for Romney. Talent said it shows that "his message is really sinking in." ( Watch Sen. Talent here.)
He also said the fact that Romney has won a large majority of the votes in these early primaries and caucuses shows that people are really appreciating Romney's stance on social issues and economics. Romney "can transform Washington," Talent said.
7:40 p.m. - David
People are starting to trickle in here. Only about a few dozen people right now. It's a very subdued atmosphere. The folks here see that Giuliani is at 17 percent which won't get it done.
If these numbers hold, don't be surprised to see Giuliani out here with a concession speech by 9 p.m.
7:10 p.m. - David
The media just absolutely freaked out here. Apparently some of the electrical outlets were getting way overheated so building security walks to the podium and tells the 50-75 media members that they are going to turn off the power for just 5 minutes.
Nooooooooooooooooooooo shouts the media in unision! Reporters are in the middle of their live shots and photographers are screaming that their lights will go out. It looks like the media won.
7:03 p.m. - David
The exit poll information shows the following:
McCain 34.3%, Romney 32.6%, Giuliani 15.3%, Huckabee 12%.
If this pattern holds, Giuliani has no shot. The polls consistently had Giuliani around this 15 percent number.
6:55 - David
The Fox News exit polls are out: Look at these numbers below:
Seniors: McCain 40, Romney 31, Giuliani 18, Huckabee 7
Veterans: McCain 37, Romney 36, Giuliani 14, Huckabee 8
Hispanics: McCain 50, Giuliani 26, Romney 16, Huckabee 5
Two things that are interesting here. McCain DID NOT run away with the veterans vote. Could be a good sign for Romney. McCain did well with senior citizens but it wasn't overwhelming. We'll see.
6:41 p.m. - David
Some information coming into The Brody File from a very trusted anonymous campaign source. According to this source, Mitt Romney won the Evangelical vote in Florida and the economy does appear to be the number one issue followed by the war. But my source tells me there's a big gap between the economy and the war. More to follow.
6:35 p.m. - Robin
Romney supporters are starting to enter the main hall of the Lyceum Center. They just opened the doors and already more than 75 people are in here. Most of them have these huge red foam mitts on their hands - how appropriate is that? They're wearing mitts for Mitt.
6:20 p.m. - Robin
Jonah, my photographer, and I just went down stairs to the media filing room. That's the place where print organizations plug up their laptops and write stories. Photographers also download their images for print.
There is food down there -- sodas, chips, chicken wraps, mini roast beef sandwiches and more. Jonah and I grabbed something quick on the way down. We're trying to watch our figures and will pass on tonight's tasty treats.
Sorry you got left out again Brody.
6:10 p.m. - Robin
I've left Brody again. Tonight I'm over at Mitt Romney's campaign headquarters in downtown St. Petersburg, Fla.. We're at the Lyceum Center on 3rd Ave. The building used to be a church, but is now an events hall where people hold weddings, parties, special receptions. Part of the Florida Panhandle is in the Central Time zone. The polls there close at 8 p.m. CST.
The rest of the state is in the Eastern Time zone and polls there close at 7 p.m. EST. There are more than four dozen news crews here waiting patiently for all the action start. So sit back and enjoy the ride. I'll have detailed reports of all the night's activities.
6:10 p.m. - David
No free food tonight but I was expecting that going in. I mean, some on Giuliani's staff are working for free so you really think the media is going to get free swedish meatballs? A little while ago I ran into actor Jon Voight. You know, the guy from National Treasure, Mission Impossible and The Champ. He seemed upbeat and really believes Giuliani is going to win tonight.
6 p.m. - David
We are either going to see a remarkable political comeback since all the polls have him third in this state or we're going to see pretty much the end of the road for this former frontrunner. Rudy fans aren't here yet. Just the media. It's a full contingent of media for sure. Look over there I see Univision. There's Wendel Goler from Fox News.
I wave hello to everyone and say, Hi, I'm with The Brody File. And they say, who? Security is approaching.hopefully I don't get thrown out.