Rudy Giuliani 2012 Run More Unlikely as Key NYC Allies Back Romney

Rudy Giuliani 2012 is increasingly becoming less likely, as the former New York City mayor's allies have endorsed his 2008 presidential rival, Mitt Romney.

Two elected officials in Staten Island, a conservative-leaning borough that helped Giuliani win the mayorlity in a heavily Democratic city, have recently thrown support to Romney, calling the former Massachusetts governor the Republicans' best shot at defeating President Barack Obama.

U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm, a first-term Republican from Staten Island who won election with Tea Party faction support, on Monday backed Romney. Last week, a former representative, Rep. Guy Molinari, who represented Staten Island in Congress and endorsed Giuliani's 2008 White House bid, said he will support Romney.

Both Giuliani allies said the former mayor seems to be sitting out of the race for the GOP presidential nod.

Says Giuliani Won't Run

I feel pretty confident that the mayor's not going to run, Grimm said in a Wall Street Journal report.

Meanwhile, Molinari, who was Staten Island borough president when Giuliani was mayor in the 1990s, said Republicans should start rallying around a candidate who can beat Obama.

Rudy has looked at this, Molinari told the Staten Island Advance, a local newspaper, last week. I think he would have made a great president. He keeps pushing back the cut-off date for making a decision.

Giuliani has yet to announce his intentions on seeking the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. While the Republican base seems to be clamoring for another candidate, there has never been a swell of interest around Giuliani like New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie had enjoyed before he recently declined to run.

Giuliani reportedly sent a key emissary to New Hampshire to test interest in a presidential bid, telling prominent Republican officials to keep their powder dry for another few weeks, according to a Sept. 28 report from The Associated Press.