Michigan Republican Primary Results: Mitt Romney Turns His "Favorite Son" Status into First-Place Finish

Willard "Mitt" Romney, the former governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, turned his "favorite son" status as a Michigan native and at least $2 million in TV advertising into his first major victory in the Republican Presidential nominating season. With 10% of the votes counted, the Associated Press projected Romney as the winner of the Republican primary with a 37% share of the vote in Michigan. U.S. Senator John McCain, who had bested Romney in New Hampshire last week, was projected to come in second in the Republican primary, with 31% of the vote, according to exit polls.

Romney, who has a personal fortune estimated at $250 million, has already spent an estimated $20 million on his presidential bid. The harvest had been bitter until the seeds he sowed in Michigan bore fruit on polling day. In addition to spending more time in Michigan campaigning than did his rivals, the New York Times reports that Romney outspent all the other Republicans.

Thirty delegates were up for grabs in the Republican primary. For the state having moved its primary up on the electoral calendar without the permission of the national parties, Michigan's Republican Party was penalized 50% of its delegates to the convention by the national GOP. On the Democratic side, Michigan was stripped of all of its delegates to the convention.

Romney was born in Michigan and his father, former American Motors Corp. President George Romney, was governor of the state from 1963-69. The young Willard Romney left the Wolverine State 40 years ago, at about the time his father George was waging his own unsuccessful Presidential campaign. George Romney was once considerd the front-runner for the 1968 Republican Presidential nomination, but stumbled in 1967 after telling the press that he had been "brainwashed" over Vietnam.

A Navy pilot during the War, John McCain became a Prisoner of War in 1967 after he was shot down over North Vietnam.