Michigan Republican primary, 2008
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The 2008 Michigan Republican primary took place on January 15, 2008. Mitt Romney came in first with 39 percent of the vote, followed by John McCain with 30 percent and Mike Huckabee in third-place with 16 percent. The victory was widely-viewed as critical for the Romney campaign, as a loss in Michigan, where his father was governor, would have resulted in a loss of momentum after two losses already in New Hampshire and Iowa.
National delegates determined: 30 out of 60
In accordance with Republican National Committee rules, Michigan was stripped of half its delegates for holding primary contests before February 5, 2008.
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[edit] Campaign
With different winners in Iowa and New Hampshire - and Mitt Romney taking the lower-profile Wyoming caucus - the January 15 Michigan primary loomed as an important battle. Polls after New Hampshire showed a tight race between McCain and Romney, with Huckabee a close third.[1][2] Many saw Michigan as Romney's last chance for a campaign-saving win after disappointments in the first two races.[3][4] Others said that a win in Michigan could cement McCain's status as the "front-runner" for the nomination.[5] McCain's campaign garnered about $1 million in newly contributed funds immediately after the New Hampshire win,[6] but still had $3.5 million in bank debt.[7] He was not alone in feeling a financial pinch; the entire Republican field suffered from a lack of enthusiasm and lower donations than the Democratic candidates were getting,[6] with by comparison Hillary Rodham Clinton getting $6 million in new funds immediately after her New Hampshire win.[6]
Nevertheless, some polls showed McCain getting a significant national bounce from his New Hampshire win; the January 11 CNN nationwide poll had him at 34 percent support, a 21-point increase from where he had been just a month before, and a significant lead over follow-upers Huckabee (21 percent) and Giuliani (18 percent).[8] As the Michigan race entered its final days, McCain gained some notoriety by sending out mailers there and in South Carolina attacking Romney's tax record and touting his own. A Romney campaign spokesman called the ad "as sloppy as it is factually incorrect", and FactCheck.org called the piece "misleading". McCain responded by saying, "It's not negative campaigning. I think it's what his record is." "It's a tough business," he added.[9][10][11]
The dominant issue in Michigan was the state of the economy. Michigan had by far the nation's largest unemployment rate, at 7.4 percent, and was continuing to lose jobs from its historical manufacturing base.[12] McCain offered a bit of his "straight talk", saying that "There are some jobs that aren't coming back to Michigan," and proposing federal job training plans and other remedies to compensate.[12] Romney seized on McCain's statement as overly pessimistic and promoted instead his family heritage — "[I've] got the automobile industry in my blood veins" — as well as his being a Washington outsider who would go there and "turn Washington inside out."[12]
In the end, McCain finished second in the primary behind Romney, gaining 30 percent of the vote to Romney's 39 percent.[13]
[edit] Results
Official Results:[14]
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Delegates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitt Romney | 338,316 | 38.92% | 24 |
| John McCain | 257,985 | 29.68% | 5 |
| Mike Huckabee | 139,764 | 16.08% | 1 |
| Ron Paul | 54,475 | 6.27% | 0 |
| Fred Thompson | 32,159 | 3.7% | 0 |
| Rudy Giuliani | 24,725 | 2.84% | 0 |
| Uncommitted | 18,118 | 2.08% | 0 |
| Duncan Hunter | 2,819 | 0.32% | 0 |
| Total | 869,169 | 100% | 30 |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ McCain, Romney in tight Michigan race Reuters, Jan. 12, 2008
- ^ Keith Naughton, Who Does Detroit Like in '08? Newsweek.com, Jan. 11, 2008
- ^ Michigan could be key to Republican Presidential nomination AFP, Jan. 9, 2008
- ^ Dick Polman, Republican presidential race is no clearer after New Hampshire Salt Lake Tribune, Jan. 9, 2008
- ^ Ryan Mauro, The New Hampshire Surprise: Edwards Makes Clinton the Front-Runner Global Politician, Jan. 10, 2008
- ^ a b c Janet Hook. "Belt-tightening times for GOP campaigns", Los Angeles Times, 2008-01-13. Retrieved on 2008-01-13.
- ^ Leslie Wayne, Michael Cooper. "Top Giuliani Aides Forgo Salaries to Help Big Push", The New York Times, 2008-01-12. Retrieved on 2008-01-13.
- ^ Paul Steinhauser. "Poll: New Hampshire win rockets McCain to front-runner status", CNN.com, 2008-01-11. Retrieved on 2008-01-13.
- ^ "McCain's Misleading Mailer", Factcheck.org, 2008-01-15. Retrieved on 2008-01-15.
- ^ Today on the Presidential Campaign Trail Associated Press, Jan. 14, 2008
- ^ McCain on that new mailer v. Romney MSNBC.com, Jan. 14, 2008
- ^ a b c Jonathan Weisman. "Romney Took McCain's Words for a Spin", The Washington Post, 2008-01-16. Retrieved on 2008-01-16.
- ^ Romney claims victory in Michigan CNN.com, Jan. 15, 2008
- ^ Michigan Secretary of State.
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