Who Will Win the Michigan Primary?

With the polls closing in Michigan, the Republican primary race is about to take a new turn. The candidates are vying for a win in a state that is not very important in a normal primary season. But this primary season has been anything but normal. Three candidates, Mitt Romney, John McCain, and Mike Huckabee, are in contention for the top spot in Michigan and all three campaigns need the boost. Romney and McCain are very close in the most recent polling data from Rasmussen Reports. The most recent study showed Romney at 26% with John McCain right behind him at 25% and Huckabee still in the race at 17%. No other candidate got into double digits in this poll.

The Michigan primary is a "must win" for Mitt Romney. His father used to be governor there, he grew up there, and he even announced his candidacy there. After two clear defeats in Iowa to Huckabee and in New Hampshire to McCain, if Romney is unable to win this state, there is little hope he could ever gain the momentum to become the nominee. However, even with a win in Michigan, his candidacy is still in trouble because it may not be enough to give him momentum to win the South Carolina primary in a few days.

The Daily Kos blog, a popular Democratic leaning website, has encouraged Democrats to vote for Romney in Michigan. In the Michigan primary, voters may vote for either party regardless of who they are registered with. Since Hillary Clinton is running uncontested in the Democratic primary, the Daily Kos is trying to get a win for Romney because he is seen as the weakest and easiest to defeat of the Republican candidates in the general election. Thus, they believe that if Romney does well in Michigan, it will prop up his campaign enough to win the nomination of the Republican Party but then lose to the Democrats in November.