On Tuesday, the Republican presidential primaries in Arizona and Michigan were so close that two candidates nearly tied. As former governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney says, these two states are crucial. If he wins them, he will be the leader of the pack. If he loses them, it will be a major setback for his quest to take the White House.
Public opinion polls show that Romney has a 2 percent lead in Arizona due to the relatively high number of Mormons in the state. Romney’s bitter rival, former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum, is hoping for an upset in Michigan. If he can win in Michigan, he can prove that his victories in Missouri, Minnesota and Colorado were not just a fluke.
Romney’s father was the governor of Michigan, and Romney was born and raised in Michigan. If Romney loses in his home state, it will be very embarrassing.
Romney Is Unable to Win the Support of Core Republican Voters
Even though Romney is considered the leading candidate in the primaries, he is still unable to gain the support of core Republican voters. If Santorum wins Michigan, he will have some momentum for winning more states in the Super Tuesday primaries. On Mar. 6, Super Tuesday, 10 different states will hold primary elections.
Romney was interviewed by Fox News on Sunday. He said, “I am planning on winning here in Michigan and also in Arizona. I think I can show that I can fight real hard and come from behind.”
Romney might be very confident about his ability to win the two races, but in reality, he knows that losing Michigan would be disastrous. It would severely affect his ability to win the presidential race in November.
Senator Lindsey Graham, a Romney supporter, told CNN, “If Romney had lost Michigan — and he’s not going to lose Michigan — that would have thrown things into the ditch.”
It is not enough for Romney to win a narrow victory either; that means he will still have the image that he is unable to gain support from conservative Republicans.
Besides Romney and Santorum, the other major candidates include former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and Texas Republican Congressman Ron Paul. Their national ratings are far behind those of Romney and Santorum.
Recently, Romney has been gaining the most support from representatives because he won primaries in important states, including New Hampshire, Florida, and Nevada.
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