SOUTHFIELD, Mich. -- Mitt Romney's pitch that he uniquely understood Michigan's economic plight -- and some help from an overnight snowfall -- carried him to a win in the state's Republican primary Tuesday and revived his staggering campaign.
The economy was most on the minds of this state's voters, and Romney, the son of a former Michigan auto executive and governor, blitzed TV screens reminding people how "Michigan is personal to me" and this is "the place I feel at home." At a time when the nation's economy is widely believed to be slipping toward recession, Romney, a successful businessman, may have found a message he can sell.
Arizona Sen. John McCain had hoped to all but knock Romney out of the presidential race here, but he and other Republicans now move on to Saturday's Nevada caucuses and, more important, South Carolina's primary the same day in a nomination struggle that has no clear front-runner.
McCain was wounded in Michigan, but he lives to fight another day. A week after his New Hampshire primary victory, he figured that he could again mobilize the armies of backers who gave him a Michigan triumph eight years ago and that his feisty, tough-guy style was well-suited to frustrated voters in this economically ravaged state.
Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, fought back by stressing how he had a special understanding of Michigan's ailing economy.
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On Monday, for example, he told the auto industry what it wanted to hear, explaining to the Detroit Economic Club that "Washington-dictated [fuel efficiency] standards is not the right answer." McCain told the same group in October that tough standards are necessary and that the auto industry could adapt.
Romney's message resonated. Fifty-five percent of GOP voters said the economy was their top concern; second was Iraq, at 18 percent, according to exit polls. And 68 percent said the economy was "not so good" or "poor."
Romney also got a boost from the weather. Snow, accumulating as much as 6 inches in some places, held down voter turnout, and fewer independents and Democrats crossed over to vote Republican than in 2000.
McCain got strong support from those groups eight years ago and won the primary. He had hoped that Democrats, whose primary this year was meaningless because the party refused to recognize the results and no major candidates campaigned here, would help him again.
Instead, Romney's triumph, after second-place finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire, derailed any hope that McCain was building momentum to steamroll through ensuing contests. Michigan thus scrambles the Republican nomination race.
McCain leads in the latest Nevada and South Carolina polls, but Romney is heading to South Carolina today for a daylong bus tour.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who finished third, has a sizable following among South Carolina's huge GOP evangelical Christian community. Also banking hard on a big showing in South Carolina is former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, who's making a last-ditch effort to keep his campaign alive.
