Grand Rapids, Michigan:

Since selecting Sarah Palin as his running mate, John McCain’s rallies and town halls have become electric affairs.  The lines snake out around the block hours in advance and routinely reach over capacity.   In Grand Rapids, Michigan the two participated in their first joint town hall meeting.  Gov. Sarah answered a number of questions.

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Detroit, Michigan

He did it: The numbers are in and he decisively beat McCain in Michigan, his birth state where he has deep roots including a father who was a three term governor.  He now moves onto South Carolina but is downplaying expectations and saying South Carolina is NOT a must-win state.
Senior Romney official:

“Mitt is pumped, very excited.”

Now that they think they’ve won they admit that it would have been a death blow had he lost here. He already had his exit line, “we won among the Republicans but it wasn’t enough.”

“Now it becomes a war of attrition and we have the deepest pockets.”

“Gonna let the other three go at other in SC. We’ve been in the middle of all the fights so far. We’re going to let them fight for awhile. 2nd, 3rd or even 4th is fine for us in SC. We will be strong in Fla regardless.”

“It’s incredibly validating for the campaign.”

Click here to see what he says:

At the Romney Michigan HQ, aides to the Detroit born former Massachusetts Governor say he has won.
The economy was the most important issue according to exit polls.
By the end of the third quarter last year Mitt had tapped his personal fortune for 17 million. He has spent at least that since then. By some estimates he has now spent in excess of 40 million of his own money.
He’ll have two wins…Wyoming and Michigan and 2nds in Ia and NH..by far the largest delegate and vote count of any republican…and he STILL has more money than any of em going forward.

Counter attack politics. McCain doesn’t much like Romney.

Click Here for McCains take on some tough mailers circulating in South Carolina.

The RCP average of polls show Huckabee with a  lead in South Carolina but several individual polls show McCain leading  Today is Michigan Primary day, polls close at 8pm.

Just as McCain has to win SC..Romney has to win Mi.    The direct mail in SC is going to get ferocious now.

McCain aides know they need to win in SC, just as Romney aides know they need Michigan.  Both candidates are in until 2/5, but first Mitt, then McCain have their backs up against the wall in the next 2 states.

There are polls aplenty and each campaign can find reason for optimism. Check here to see the latest Real Clear Politics polls. Michigan is a Romney/McCain fight. The subject is manufacturing job losses. Romney has family history in the state, his father was governor. McCain won the 2000 Michigan primary. McCain has momentum coming out of NH, but knows he can’t afford to let the McCainiacs get complacent.

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He wins and goes on. He loses…and goes on? Could be, but bet nothing. Will the former Massachusetts Governor find that the Wolverine state -where he was born- is his Bunker Hill?

VIDEO: Mitt tours Michigan Statehouse:
http://embeds.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/112-post-tour.mov

Surprise!! the polls are all over the place and can’t be trusted. Check out the regional breakdown and composition of the samples in these polls.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/mi/michigan_republican_primary-237.html

It rarely works but the Daily Kos is urging Democrats to cross over on January 15th primary and vote for Mitt Romney Michigan is a walk-in registration state. The democratic candidates are boycotting Michigan to honor the DNC calendar rules. Cross over voting to mess with the opposition is talked about every cycle in situations like this and it seldom has the slightest impact. The goal here is to help Mitt Romney and thereby hurt John McCain and Mike Huckabee.

To read the article and the email that Markos wants democrats to send out go to: The Daily Kos

Real Clear Politics breaks down the delegate count and shows the Republican race is still fluid. To see more go to Real Clear Politics.

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Mitt Romney has pulled his ads everywhere but Michigan on the day he held a phone-a-thon and raised $5 million on that day alone.

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We’re not going to just be on air here. We’re going to be in other states, but as to what the schedule is for different states, you’d have to direct that to the campaign. …. I will win Michigan. You know, I don’t know what would happen otherwise. It just depends on what happens to everyone else.

Check out embed producer, Shushannah Walshe’s report on Gov. Romney’s remarks. It’s do or die in the state where he was born. He’ll be in Myrtle Beach with the rest of the field Wednesday for the Fox News Republican debate airing at 9pm.