Rudy Giuliani 2008 presidential campaign in the Iowa Caucus. Some political observers have opined that the Straw Poll results are bought by campaigns. Giuliani had emerged as the frontrunner after overtaking John McCain in the polls. With the exposure and eventual entrance of Fred Thompson into the field, Giuliani's poll numbers began to drop. But he held on to his status as frontrunner. According to the CBS News Poll taken June 26–28, Giuliani held the lead over Thompson 34% to 21%. In the second quarter, Giuliani revealed that he raised $17 million, first among Republicans and third overall behind Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. On
Rudy Giuliani 2008 presidential campaign top positions during his mayoralty, brought in as a partner at Giuliani Partners, and recommended for Secretary of Homeland Security, was indicted on 16 counts of tax fraud and other federal charges. Due to questions about Giuliani's judgement in promoting Kerik's career, "The New York Times" said that the forthcoming legal proceedings could "cast a shadow" on Giuliani's presidential campaign, while "The Washington Post" said the indictment "was expected to provide an opening for political rivals" of Giuliani. Giuliani said that "I made a mistake of not clearing him effectively enough. I take the responsibility for that", and defended Kerik's