Michigan's primary may not be as easy to win as Mitt Romney had hoped. But the GOP candidate is already taking extreme measures to win over Michigan voters, including a Detroit News op-ed and a new TV ad playing up his "Michiganness."

In his piece Tuesday for the Detroit News, Romney called himself a "son of Detroit" before launching into an attack on President Obama's auto industry bailout.

Instead of doing the right thing and standing up to union bosses,Obama rewarded them.

A labor union that had contributed millions to Democrats and his election campaign was granted an ownership share of Chrysler and a major stake in GM, two flagships of the industry.The U.S. Department of Treasury — American taxpayers — was asked to become a majority stockholder of GM. And a politically connected and ethically challenged Obama-campaign contributor, the financier Steven Rattner, was asked to preside over all this as auto czar.

This was crony capitalism on a grand scale. The president tells us that without his intervention things in Detroit would be worse. I believe that without his intervention things there would be better.

…We should not be back on a road like the one that brought us Freddie Mac and the housing crisis. It is a road with endless hazards. It is not the American way of making cars.

The dream of the Motor City is and always has been one of ideas, innovation, enterprise, and opportunity. It started with Henry Ford and continued with visionaries like William Durant, Walter Chrysler, and the Dodge Brothers. These giants never envisioned a role for government in their business, but relied on the hard work and commitment of private individuals.

Their dream is alive in all of us who have ever called Detroit home. And with a Detroiter in the White House, that dream can be realized once again.

Also on Tuesday, Romney released an ad featuring old-timey footage of cars in the Motor City mixed with shots of the candidate as he drove through what viewers presume to be his old neighborhood.

The Washington Post reported Romney is trailing in polls, prompting the heavy campaigning before Michigan's Feb. 28 primary.

A Michigan upset could be a turning point in the Republican primary, finally setting up the former Pennsylvania senator as the alternative to Romney and turning the remaining contests into head-to-head battles between the two men.

Romney advisers also appear to see Michigan as increasingly key — and believe that a loss in a state he enters with every conceivable advantage would be widely perceived as devastating.

“This might be one of the most important races of the whole process,” said Steve Mitchell, a Republican pollster based in East Lansing. “If Romney loses Michigan, the perception is that it’s just a huge loss for him, one that could really cost him the nomination.”

Both camps have been working to play down expectations. In a Fox Business Network interview last week, Romney said he didn’t expect Michigan “to be a landslide.” And Santorum adviser Hogan Gidley said Tuesday that the campaign is “under no illusions” that a Michigan win is likely.

Romney's family still holds significant influence in the swing state, where 30 delegates are up for grabs. But Santorum's camp think his message will resonate with Michigan voters. Santorum told MSNBC last week, "We think Michigan is a great place for us to plant our flag and talk about jobs and manufacturing and giving opportunities for everybody in America to rise."

Analysts have pointed out even a second-place finish for Santorum would be a triumph, as it would position him above Newt Gingrich as Romney's primary competition.

 

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