Michigan Primary Preview: A Two-Horse Race
The Michigan primary is shaping up to be a two-horse race between Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum. Michigan is an important state for Romney — in particular, because he was born and raised there, and he grew up as the son of George Romney, a prominent Michigan automaker and former three-term Michigan governor.
A Detroit Free Press/WXYZ-TV poll that was taken before the debate on Wednesday night showed that Santorum had a 3-point advantage over Romney — 37% to 34%. Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich came in at 10% and 7%, respectively, both of them behind “Undecided/refused.”
Among the poll’s more noteworthy findings,
- Romney led Santorum among women 37% to 33%;
- Santorum led Romney among men 41% to 29%;
- Romney led Santorum among pro-choice voters 43% to 18%;
- Santorum led Romney among pro-life voters 48% to 29%;
- Romney led Santorum among moderate voters by 51% to 17%; and
- Santorum led Romney among conservative voters and voters who profess no political leaning by 46% to 27% and 54% to 27%, respectively.
Judging by the poll’s results, Romney’s Mormon faith could play an important part in the Michigan primary and possibly in the rest of the nation as well. Santorum had a 48% to 19% advantage over Romney among religious voters who are other than Catholic or Protestant, and those who are “Evangelical/Born-again Christians” leaned toward Santorum by 51% to 24%. Even so, according to the Detroit Free Press/WXYZ-TV poll, Michigan was still in play. Romney was closing the gap, and 45% of poll participants said that they were willing to change their minds.
The latest Gallup tracking poll among registered Republican voters nationally that was taken between February 18-22 mirrored the Detroit Free Press/WXYZ-TV poll. Santorum came from nowhere, and with his three-state sweep in Colorado, Minnesota, and Missouri, he surged to a lead, but he has plateaued and is now dropping. Conversely, Romney showed a dramatic drop in support following Santorum’s hat trick, but he has leveled off and is starting to rise again.
By Friday, a new Rasmussen poll showed that Romney had eliminated the gap completely and captured a 6-point lead in Michigan:
True to a primary season already marked by sudden and surprising ups and downs, Mitt Romney has jumped back into the lead in Michigan’s Republican Primary race. The vote’s on Tuesday.
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Republican Primary Voters in Michigan shows Romney with 40% of the vote and former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum with 34%. The poll was conducted on Thursday night, following the last scheduled debate among the GOP candidates.
It is forbidden to vote for Romney the Mormon.
Anyone who votes for Romney the Mormon is committing a sin against God.
Whoever votes for Romney the Mormon is going straight to hell.
Whoever votes for Romney the Mormon will have to answer to God for it.
Mormonism is not Christianity.
Mormonism is a cult.
Mitt Romney is a demonic cultist.
We will expose the Mormon cult for what it is.
Mormons are not Christians.
If, God forbid, Romney the Mormon is elected President of the United States of America, God will judge America, and give us what we deserve — hell on earth, the destruction of the United States of America, and the end of our way of life.
Who is this guy?
A complete blithering idiot. I don’t like Romney, but this attack on his faith is despicable.
Last time I looked, I was pretty thoroughly involved with the TEA Party. And the last time I looked, I am an elected delegate to our County Republican Convention, and a candidate for delegate to our State House of Representative District Nominating Convention, State Senate District Nominating Convention, Judicial District Nominating Convention, and the State Convention and Assembly.
I am not Mormon, but I know an awful lot of them as friends, neighbors and co-workers. The candidate I am supporting for State House of Representatives is Mormon [and TEA Party]. I usually view someone being Mormon as a distinct plus; showing that they are honest, hardworking, and live by a code of ethics I approve of. I, and pretty much our entire local TEA Party group [we did a preference poll at our last city meeting and Romney did not get a single vote], detest Romney because he is not a conservative of any kind or a Constitutionalist. He, personally, is a big government, self-described “moderate progressive” whose claims of conservatism still have the ink wet, and who has never fought for any conservative stand in his 20 years in politics. He detests the base of the Republican Party, and that feeling is reciprocated. He is disliked in spite of being Mormon, and not because of it.
If he is the nominee, he will lose; because he depresses Republican and conservative turnout [look at the counties he has carried in the primaries so far]. Even if he did win, he will do absolutely nothing to push back against what the Left has done over the last decade from his history. Given the Vichy leadership of the Republicans in Congress, he will pander to the Democrats and tell the base once again to get stuffed.
Attacking a candidate because of his/her Judeo-Christian faith, of whatever variety; is a mark of a Democrat not the TEA Party.
Subotai Bahadur
Who is THIS guy? He is pretty sure he knows all about Mitt Romney, at least from all the predictions he makes.
Great sarcasm “Salafi”!
The anti-LDS sentiment is hardly called for.
Romney 2012 !
Concerning the ‘polls.’ First, the media treats us almost daily to the President’s numbers in the November election over against any of his possible Republican challengers. But since we don’t yet know who the Republican nominee will be, what is the point? Second, does anyone remember that in July of 1988, Michael Dukakis led George Bush by a whopping 17 points? And that was after we knew who the contenders would be! Third, as we all will recall, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton fought a very long, very protracted contest for the nomination of their party in 2008, a contest which Obama didn’t clinch until early June! Was there fervid media interest in February of that year about the possibilities of a ‘brokered’ convention, or a ‘contested’ convention’? Perhaps I missed it. Fourth, and finally, does anyone recall an election cycle where the party in the White House made such a concerted effort to damage an opposing party’s ‘presumed front runner’ long before that candidate’s nomination has even been secured? Fewer polls and greater sobriety required.
The primary in my state comes quite late in the game and I’m in blue state. But now Romney is definitely my choice. Tenacity counts for something.
1) TPS – Your tinfoil hat is on to tight, that’s why your hearing voices.
Excuse me, but the country is broke. Nattering about condoms is chasing a red herring, deliberately foisted upon us by Mr. Stephanopoulos, the White House, and the nice folks at ‘JournoList’ as bait. When Mr. Gingrich remembered to run against President Obama and the establishment press, he did very well. Forgetting who they’re running against, various candidates have since degenerated into bashing each other over religion, demonstrating their unfitness for the job. Fellows, try to keep your eye on the ball. ‘It’s the economy, Stupid!’
I hope my fellow Michiganders will take note of the story on the Romney campaign’s apparently illegal sharing of personnel with their SuperPac, and hiding of their salaries in shell companies before voting. See http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/feb/26/romney-camp-super-pac-share-high-level-aides/
The establishment and the MSM have been pushing this guy since day one. Are we going to let them pick our candidate again, as with Dole and McCain?
Romney’s whole campaign has been based on money, playing safe (after all, he’s the heir apparent), and buying victories with attack ads. Note that he can’t outspend or out attack the Obamaites.
Santorum is at least an honest man, and Gingrich has the big ideas and personality to face the Won- all Romney’s got is the urge for promotion, just like Gore, Kerry, etc.- the next logical step for a Havahd man. He’s merely safe for the big boys in Washington.
Politisite Political Projections: Michigan Primary Tuesday February 28, 2012 has the race as a tossup as well. Looks to us that Romney may pull out a slim victory.. but the numbers are right at 36.5% each. We also Have Ron Paul third and Gingrich fourth. http://wp.me/pOe4O-aac
In Arizona, a bit different story, we have Romney with a 15.7 point lead.
Unfortunately, the democrats crossing over and voting for the weaker Republican candidate is starting up again. Santorum is openly asking for their votes. I thought the Rs cleaned up this problem from last go around?
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