Michigan, South Carolina are Stages for next GOP Battles
Posted by Bobby Eberle
January 10, 2008 at 7:25 am

From New Hampshire, where Sen. John McCain scored a comeback victory and opened up the GOP race for president, the candidates are now on to the next contests in Michigan and South Carolina. Depending on what happens there, some candidates could drop out completely, while others could start building real momentum.

As noted in the Washington Times: http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbc ... 20690/1001 , several candidates appear to be making these states their "last stands." Former Gov. Mitt Romney has pulled advertising from South Carolina to focus squarely on Michigan. Conversely, former Sen. Fred Thompson is banking on a win in South Carolina, saying he's "all in."


In Michigan, the battle is close between Romney, McCain, and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. Romney grew up in Michigan, where his father was governor for six years. McCain won Michigan in 2000 against then-Gov. George W. Bush, but that marked the beginning of the end for his campaign.

In South Carolina, Huckabee is leading with McCain and Romney also in the mix. According to the Washington Times, Thompson is currently polling in fourth place, so there is much to be done if his team is to pull off a victory.

Nationally, in the race for the all-important nominating convention delegates, Huckabee leads Romney by two, 31-29. A delegate tracking chart can be found at GOPUSA's Election '08 section: http://www.gopusa.com/election08/

As of yet, long-time national front-runner Rudy Giuliani has not been a factor. His "large state" strategy begins to be tested at the end of the month with the election in Florida on January 29. Super Tuesday follows on February 5.

What happens if Romney wins in Michigan? Then, three different candidates will have won a major contest. By major, I mean one in which the media will be paying attention. Romney has already won in Wyoming, a state which normally has more delegates at stake than New Hampshire, but the media paid no attention. If Thompson does not win in South Carolina, he is done.

Rep. Ron Paul, who again was predicted to win New Hampshire by GOPUSA's unscientific web poll has finished fifth. In a similar online poll for Iowa, he was predicted to be the winner as well and finished fifth. Is it no wonder why so many web sites have stopped doing presidential polls. Word gets out and the poll gets slammed with Paul voters. There is no doubt that Paul has raised a significant amount of money. The question that remains is what is going to happen to it?
http://www.gopusa.com/theloft/?p=638
>> Discuss this topic in The Forum