Michigan and Ohio: Big Tests for Romney and Santorum
The Republican race is heading into a critical juncture. Rick Santorum has emerged as Mitt Romney’s main challenger. To convince the followers of Newt Gingrich that their man’s campaign is essentially over, Santorum will have to finish well ahead of Newt in the upcoming contests over the next few weeks in Michigan, Arizona, Washington, and Ohio and then hope for a Gingrich collapse in the South.
College sports fans know all about the Big Ten rivalry between the University of Michigan and the Ohio State University. Now these two critical Midwestern industrial states, voting a week apart, will likely set the tone for the middle part of this GOP fight. Both of these states are a good national microcosm with struggling urban industry, prosperous suburbs, and the traditional Republican farm vote. They both even have a few transplanted Southerners. Their mixes of Catholics, Jews, and Protestants are close to the national average.
Romney was sufficiently concerned about both states to launch a multi-million dollar blitz of both positive and negative ads. Late polls show Romney inching ahead in Michigan while Santorum is surging ahead in Ohio. If Romney wins both of them, he is going to become the overwhelming favorite going forward. But if Santorum or (much less likely) Gingrich can score the upset in Ohio, it would most likely prolong the race until June.
Michigan votes first on Feb. 28 and is probably easier to predict due to the facts that Romney grew up there when his father was governor and won it in 2008. The Wolverine State was settled mostly by migrants from the Northeast and has a well-deserved reputation for social liberalism on issues like civil rights, electing moderate establishment Republicans like William Milliken and George Romney, Mitt’s father. The current GOP governor, Rick Snyder, is a socially liberal high-tech businessman (elected on the slogan “He’s one tough nerd”) and just endorsed Mitt. After becoming the home base of the auto industry, Michigan went through a 50-year boom from 1920 to 1970, which ended badly with the Arab oil embargo of 1973 that caused Americans to look for more fuel-efficient imported cars. Since then, the Detroit area has steadily lost population. In national politics, Michigan is “light blue,” going Democrat for president five straight times, but not by New York-style margins. At the local level, both parties are competitive.
About 40% of Republican voters are in the suburbs of Detroit with another 20% in the smaller metro areas of northern and western Michigan. (Virtually no GOP votes come out of Detroit: Obama received 97% of all votes in Motown in 2008.) The remaining 40% comes from rural Michigan, though obviously a surge in turnout in rural Michigan for Santorum could shift the balance. Based on early polls and previous voting patterns, look for Romney to have the edge in the metro areas and Santorum to do well in the small towns of “outstate” Michigan. Santorum’s strengths with farmers could give him at least one-fourth of the Michigan delegates. If Santorum is going to mount a charge in the Wolverine State, he’ll have to do so with blue-collar voters in the suburbs.
Oakland County is wealthy and mostly white-collar; Romney will almost surely win there. But just north of Detroit is Macomb County, to where many white workers moved out of Detroit, and is home to the famous “Reagan Democrats.” Santorum will not have the option of attracting blue-collar Democrats because this primary is open only to registered Republicans. But if some of these well-paid workers have switched parties, they will be the key to Santorum’s hopes. Watch the Wayne County suburbs and Macomb to see if any Santorum trend develops on Feb. 28. Since there are more white-collar suburban Republicans in Michigan than blue-collar ones, Romney looks good on paper. The guess here is that Romney’s home state ties and the historic strength of moderate Republicans give Mitt a win here (again). But a Romney win here will be less significant because it’s expected.
“Another piece of good news for Santorum: at least 15% of the Republican turnout comes from rural German Catholics in the northwest part of the state who often vote on “values” issues.”
That’s a bit narrow. Considering the amount of farmers and small businesses, economic issues play heavy as well.
“A huge turnout from these German Catholics for a gay marriage referendum in 2004 helped tip the balance in Ohio and re-elect George W. Bush.”
It was a little more complex than that. John “do you know who I am” Kerry’s own personality and personal history turned off alot of people. A lot of vets in that area weren’t to hip to his little “Winter Soldier” spiel that turned out to be a lie. He was an east coast liberal no one in that part of fly over will ever like, hence Romney probably won’t get their vote either.
Oakland County is wealthy and mostly white-collar; Romney will almost surely win there. But just north of Detroit is Macomb County, to where many white workers moved out of Detroit, and is home to the famous “Reagan Democrats.” Santorum will not have the option of attracting blue-collar Democrats because this primary is open only to registered Republicans
Michigan has an open primary.
Mitt will win both Arizona and Michigan. After that we will see whether the continuing exposure of Santorum’s extreme social conservatism has welcome results, given the fact it makes him unelectable in the General.
Reagan Democrats are social conservatives- they’ll break for Santorum, not Romney.
And either Gingrich or Santorum could make up for a loss in Michigan with a win in Arizona’s sweepstakes primary the same day, although Mitt currently owns a double-digit lead in the Grand Canyon State. (Then Romney would suffer the ironic fate of winning more votes on Feb. 28, but earning fewer delegates.)
You think that a double digit lead could be overcome in one day? Sorry Patrick, you’re not ready for prime time punditry.
RCP-Mitt has commanding lead in Arizona.
With all of the advantages that Romney has in Michigan (favorite son / home state; open primary [= liberal democrats can vote for the republican candidate]; big union membership; huge money spend on ads) he should be ahead by 30+ points, not ‘inching ahead’
All of what you said is incorrect in at least some way. You figure it out. The reference to big union membership is laughable. The Democrats have that group of useful idiots sewn up.
I think Newt’s only hope now is in the south. I would prefer Santorum get the nomination if Newt does not get it, but I just hope that Santorum does not turn into our Sharron Angle of 2012. He has to transform himself into the Marco Rubio of 2012. If he can do that, he’s got it made.
What also worries me is that so much of the mainstream media is in the tank for Obama that whoever we nominate is going to get clobbered by the press. And since most Americans don’t even bother reading up on candidates or campaigns, they may just fall for voting for Obama again. That would be horrible for this nation and a real tragedy for our future.
This is one big reason Mitt is a no-go. He’s not ready to face a maliciously hostile press aiming to destroy him by any means neccessary. Newt or Santorum will do better in that situation because they are mentally prepared.
And Mr. Gain…extreme social conservatism….puhleaaaazze. Rolls eyes. Anyone who’s not for pot on demand for tenth graders is an extreme social conservative to some folk.
Since neither of them are able or willing to face down the unionized workforce in Ohio and Michigan and tell them the truth: that they will have to take significant cuts in wages and benefits in order for the economy to heal, neither of Romney nor Santorum are the man for the GOP presidential nomination. If candidates who tell the truth to the people, no matter how unpalatable it is to the people and to the candidates, are ‘unelectable’ then the nation is without hope of ever recovering from this so-called ‘recession’, let alone achieving financial stability and genuine economic recovery.