Former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. was among the earliest endorsers of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, getting behind him all the way back in March, which seems like light years away in this most grueling of presidential primary seasons.

Back then, Giuliani led by more than 20 points in most national polls, before Sen. John McCain had even experienced the campaign implosion that later led to a comeback.

Through his spokesman, Ehrlich declined yesterday to get behind any of the remaining Republican candidates after "Hizzoner" dropped out of the race yesterday (Giuliani went 0-7 in the early voting contests, including in Florida on Tuesday, which he had turned into his last stand).

"Mayor Giuliani deserves credit for running a strong race," Ehrlich said in a statement. "I respect his decision to withdraw. I count him as a great personal friend who has an incredibly bright future in national politics. I look forward to working with him in the future on the important challenges facing our country. The presidential campaign entered a new phase today. The Republican Party has three strong candidates remaining, each of whom would be a nominee that we can be proud of."