The bad news for Rudolph W. Giuliani Tuesday night in Michigan was that Representative Ron Paul of Texas appears to have beaten him handily again, just as he did in Iowa.

With 89 percent of the precincts reporting at 11:20 p.m., Mr. Giuliani was in a distant sixth-place, behind Fred D. Thompson, who was in fifth place, and Mr. Paul, who was in fourth place and who received more than twice as many votes as Mr. Giuliani.



The good news for Mr. Giuliani is that Mitt Romney’s victory leaves the Republican field unsettled – which is what he needs if his unconventional strategy of waiting until Florida on Jan. 29 to try to eke out his first victory is to work.

“It’s clear after tonight that while the race remains fluid and competitive, our strategy remains on track,” Tony Carbonetti, a senior adviser to Mr. Giuiani, said in a statement.