Michigan Picks Mitt Romney, but Will He Be the GOP Nominee?

Mitt Romney won the Republican primary in Michigan giving him the most delegates so far in this primary season. He beat McCain by a significant margin, who came in second, and Mike Huckabee, who rounded off the top three. While Romney won Wyoming, he was virtually uncontested there which makes Michigan his first big win. He is expecting a bump up in the polls in South Carolina from his victory, but will it be enough to win again?

The polls show a close race for the upcoming South Carolina Republican primary this Saturday. Real Clear Politics average of polls show a tight race between Romney, Huckabee, McCain, and Fred Thompson. Any of these four could win there. McCain had a strong win in New Hampshire but it's unclear if his momentum will slow down now that he's lost in Michigan. He is very popular among independents and moderates however he's had an uneasy relationship with conservatives which makes a win in South Carolina a little more tenuous. There are a lot of conservatives there which could be hard for him to win over but if he is able to win, he'll prove himself as the conservative front-runner to go up against Rudy Giuliani in Florida.

Huckabee and Thompson are both from the south and have been courting the conservative vote. Huckabee has a little more credibility than Thompson because of his previous victory in Iowa, but Thompson has been chipping away at Huckabee's lead and has been inching up in the polls. Both campaigns are low on cash and need a win in South Carolina to keep their campaigns running.