After spending months and millions campaigning in Florida, he went from the candidate to beat to simply a beaten candidate. Giuliani barely avoided total implosion by hanging on to finish third with 15 percent of the vote. News outlets reported late Tuesday that Giuliani will withdraw from the race today and toss his support behind McCain, who's a close personal friend.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who's found it difficult building on his surprising Jan. 3 win in Iowa to open the presidential campaign season, finished fourth with 13 percent, and there are continued rumblings about how long his cash-strapped campaign can continue.

Romney's campaign heads to California today, where the candidate will join McCain for the final Republican candidate debate before Super Tuesday. California and Utah are two of the more than 20 states holding primary elections or caucuses for one or both major political parties on Feb. 5, or so-called Super Tuesday. In all, more than 1,000 delegates will be up for grabs.

Tonight's debate will be hosted at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley and will be nationally televised. Romney will then continue stumping in the Golden State on Thursday before attending LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley's funeral on Saturday in Salt Lake City.

Maine Republicans will also be holding statewide caucuses to award 21 delegates throughout the weekend, but it's unknown if Romney or other candidates will campaign there in person.

Recognizing the importance of his win, McCain was all smiles. "Florida has always been a special place to me, and it is all the more so tonight. Our victory might not have reached landslide proportions, but it is sweet nonetheless," McCain said. "I offer my best wishes to Governor Romney and his supporters. You fought hard for your candidate, and the margin that separated us tonight surely isn't big enough for me to brag about or for you to despair," he said.

"In one week we will have as close to a national primary as we have ever had in this country. I intend to win it and be the nominee of our party," McCain said. "And I intend to do that by making it clear what I stand for."

While McCain now has momentum — building on earlier wins in South Carolina and New Hampshire — Romney can take solace knowing he has deeper pockets, which could help him reach more voters in more states on Super Tuesday as the race shifts from a contest of single-state stumps to one stressing mass media advertising. It's expected he'll liberally use those airwaves to continue painting McCain as a liberal while stressing his own executive experience and Reagan-style conservative values.

Throughout the week campaigning in Florida, Romney pounded a theme that the three major bills McCain is best know for, including the McCain-Feingold bill that reformed campaign financing, are flawed and clear reasons why McCain should not be elected.