The Michigan primary - Romney wins

Last update on January 16, 2008 at 09:15 Lisbon time
With 81% of precincts reporting, Mitt Romney was the clear winner with 39% in front of John McCain with 30% and Mike Huckabee with 16%. Ron Paul won 6%, Fred Thompson 4% and Rudy Giuliani 3%. The Republican presidential race remains wide open.

According to exit polls, the economy has become the most important issue for more than half of the voters. 40% of them chose Romney over McCain with 29%. According to CNN's Bill Schneider, McCain's problem is that 40% of the conservative voters preferred Romney over McCain with only 22% of conservative votes. Huckabee has not yet shown a larger appeal above the evangelical vote. Giuliani will enter the race in Florida.

Article added on January 16, 2008 at 02:05 Lisbon time
The first exit-polls in the open Michigan primary show Mitt Romney ahead with 37% in front of John McCain with 31% and Mike Huckabee with 16%.

Despite spending a fortune in Michigan, Mitt Romney ended up once again in a close race, it seemed. His chances to become the Republican presidential candidate would have looked compromised, had he not won the Great Lake State, which only offers 30 GOP delegates to the winner. Considering that the father of the former Massachusetts'  governor, the late George Romney (1907-1995), was not only the chairman of American Motors Corporation from 1954 to 1962, but also a popular, three-term Governor of Michigan from 1963 to 1969, a second place by Romney would have looked like a terrible defeat. It was a must win state for him. Mitt Romney, born and raised in Michigan, could never get rid of his image as a slick politician elsewhere. In his home state, he promised pretty much everything to the auto industry workers. Michigan, with its ailing auto industry, has the highest unemployment rate in the entire United States at 7.4%. As the results show, Mitt Romney's rhetoric improved his appeal among Republican and independent voters in Michigan's open primary. Mitt Romney spent over $2 million in TV ads in Michigan, far more than John McCain with some $360,000.

Once again, John McCain, with his strait talk, can call himself a winner, although he only finished second. If he can financially refuel his campaign, he will remain one of the hot favorites among the Republican candidates. The day of truth comes on February 5, on Super Tuesday, when 24 states will hold caucuses or primary elections.

Because the state party chose to hold its primary early, the Democratic Party has denied Michigan to send delegates to the Democratic presidential convention. Therefore, the Democratic primary in Michigan is irrelevant. Obama and Edwards even removed their names from the Michigan ballots. [Added on January 15, 2008: Among the favorites, the top tier candidates] Only Hillary Clinton's name remains on the Democratic ballots.

Today's deals at Amazon.com.   -   Special offers on new releases from Amazon.co.uk.