New York - With ambitions to run for US president, former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani has set up an exploratory committee to help him raise funds and campaign, news reports said Tuesday.
Giuliani filed a document to begin the presidential bid and the committee's treasurer, John H Gross, said the formal step was taken to begin the campaign.
"Mayor Giuliani has not made a decision yet," Gross said. "With the filing of this document, we have taken the necessary legal steps so an organization can be put in place and money can be raised to explore a possible presidential run in 2008."
Giuliani, a two-term mayor of New York City with a term that ended in December 2001, had visited New Hampshire and Iowa, two states that are crucial in early bids to determine the political parties' candidates. He also appeared in countless electoral campaigns for Republican candidates across the US.
Giuliani became a household name after leading New York City following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people and caused billions of dollars in damage.