A Rudy campaign source notes that more absentee ballots have already been requested by Republicans in Florida than the number of Republicans who will participate in tonight’s caucuses.
In the Sunshine State, 117,000 Republicans have requested and have been sent primary ballots already.
In 2000, a record 108,000 participated in the Iowa Republican caucus. This year, organizers expect around 80,000.
A dozen states are voting absentee right now.
Team Giuliani must find not participating in Iowa as a double-edged sword. Sure, they’re out of the news, but it’s hard for them to underperform expectations, and either Huckabee or Romney is going to find themselves with some bad buzz for coming in second. Thompson may be facing a pivotal moment. Meanwhile, Team Rudy can pop the bubbly if they hit double digits, and know that they don’t start hitting must-win moments until, oh, Florida or so.