The Michigan Republican primary election is shaping up to be a two man race, with Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum currently leading rival Mitt Romney, according to a new poll of Michigan voters.
Mr. Santorum finished the latest Inside Michigan Politics poll with 43 percent of the votes, trailed by Mr. Romney at 33 percent.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich finished the poll in a distant third place with 11 percent of the votes, trailed by Texas lawmaker Ron Paul at 8 percent.
Mr. Gingrich and Mr. Paul have not been courting voters in Michigan as aggressively as Mr. Santorum and Mr. Romney have.
Both the Romney and Santorum campaigns have released new ads attacking each other in Michigan this week. Mr. Santorum is trying to portray Mr. Romney as the “mud-slinging” candidate, while Mr. Romney continues to attack the former senator on his record of voting for earmarks.
“There is very little good news in this survey for Mitt Romney. Like George W. Bush who hoped the Michigan primary would be his firewall, Michigan could be a fireball for Romney. The problem for Romney is not Democrats crossing over to vote, but Tea Party supporters who back Santorum 51 percent to Romney’s 22 percent,” said Bill Ballenger, publisher of Inside Michigan Politics.
Mr. Romney has tried to appeal to Michigan voters as being a “son of Detroit,” as he stated in an op-ed article for The Detroit News earlier this week.
Additionally, the Bain Capital co-founder has endorsements from Michigan Republican Governor Rick Snyder and several elected state officials in Michigan.
The son of former Michigan Governor George Romney also released a television advertisement in Michigan called “Growing up,” further playing up ties to his Michigan roots.
However, it does not appear to be working, as Mr. Santorum is a more popular candidate for Midwest conservatives right now.
The Inside Michigan Politics poll shows Mr. Santorum leading among female voters and Tea Party Republicans in Michigan.
“Does Santorum have the resources to withstand the Romney assault, and will Romney have a message that finally resonates with Tea Party supporters? If you are a Michigan Republican you should be prepared to be bombarded on the air, on the phone, and in the mailbox for the next two weeks,” said Tom Shields, President of Marketing Resource Group, who helped conduct the poll.
The pollsters surveyed 800 registered Republican voters in Michigan between February 13th and February 14th, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
If Mr. Romney loses the Michigan primary, it could prove to be a big blow to his campaign as he would take a loss in the state where he was born and raised.
