The stress of possibly losing his home state primary is beginning to show on Mitt Romney. Yesterday, he lambasted Rick Santorum for a "dirty trick", a robocall to registered Democrats asking them for their vote in the primary. In Michigan, all registered voters are allowed to vote in the primary of either party, so Santorum's robocall was asking potential voters for their vote. Oh, the horror of it! Poor Mitt! Just imagine having to face an opponent who actually has the nerve to ask potential voters for their votes. Sure sounds like a dirty trick to me.
The truth is that there are millions of Democrats in Michigan who could find themselves in sync with Santorum; these are the more conservative and religious union members who can identify with Santorum's programs aimed at helping factory workers and others engaged in manufacturing. Not too many union Democrats have much affinity with Romney.
I guess Mitt thinks that on the day before the primary he can charge Santorum with a dirty trick in the hope that before anyone actually hears what the supposed trick is, the primary will be over. Sadly, Romney seems to forget that there are more than 40 other states to follow. It has been bad enough for Romney to run a wholly negative campaign. it is much worse for him to get caught using tactics like this one.
The last polls before today's vote showed a one percent margin between Santorum and Romney with one or the other ahead depending on which poll one consulted. No matter who gets more votes tonight, Santorum has already won. He has tied Romney in Romney's own home state. Romney won here four years ago by a big margin over an opponent who had already wrapped up the nomination. Now, when Romney is in the middle of an actual fight, his birth state is going for someone else. It is a big blow to Romney's campaign.
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