In the news:
Originally published February 21, 2012 at 8:16 PM | Page modified February 22, 2012 at 10:00 AM
Crucial week could make or break Romney
A Michigan loss for the self-described "son of Detroit" could be devastating.
McClatchy Newspapers
ANDRE J. JACKSON / MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS
Mitt Romney speaks during a town-hall meeting Tuesday at a manufacturing plant in Shelby Township, Mich.
Rick Santorum weathers ad blitz.
GOP debate tonight
A two-hour Republican presidential debate is scheduled tonight at 5 p.m. CNN will televise the debate, the 20th of the campaign and first since Jan. 26. The four major candidates — Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul — plan to attend. John King will moderate.On the campaign trail
Graham doubts Obama: In a Tuesday interview on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," the Rev. Franklin Graham, son of evangelist Billy Graham, said he was not sure if President Obama was a true Christian and, asked if he would declare Obama was not a Muslim, Graham replied, "I can't say categorically, because Islam has gotten a free pass under Obama." Graham cited the rise of Islamic parties in the Middle East as part of the Arab Spring and what he called a weak U.S. response to the growing persecution of Christian minorities in Africa and the Middle East.Poll shows Romney rebound: A new survey by the Michigan Information & Research Service shows Mitt Romney leading Rick Santorum 32 percent to 30 percent in Michigan. The poll of 420 likely GOP primary voters was done Monday by Mitchell Research/Rosetta Stone and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.7 percentage points. House Speaker Newt Gingrich had 9 percent support, and Texas Rep. Ron Paul was at 7 percent. However, the poll showed 22 percent undecided.
Bachmann bid: Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., said Tuesday she will seek re-election to her seat, even though her home was thrown into a new district now represented by a Democrat.
Seattle Times new services
WASHINGTON — Mitt Romney will face his three Republican rivals Wednesday in a debate that marks the start of a crucial week for his presidential bid.
The former Massachusetts governor badly needs to win Tuesday's primary in Michigan, the state where he grew up and his father once governed. A victory there, coupled with a win in the Arizona primary the same day, could give him a strong boost.
But a Michigan loss for the self-described "son of Detroit" could be devastating. Romney has trailed former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum in most recent statewide polls, although he appears to be closing the gap.
"Romney's loss will leave the party with no clear front-runner, or at least a possible emerging front-runner, Santorum," said Victoria Mantzopoulos, a political-science professor at the University of Detroit Mercy.
Romney's first test of the week comes Wednesday night when Republicans debate for two hours in Mesa, Ariz.
He will be joined in the debate — the last before the 10-state "Super Tuesday" on March 6 — by Santorum, Texas Rep. Ron Paul and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Paul has been waging a spirited campaign, while Gingrich, whose campaign was built on debates, has all but disappeared in recent weeks.
"These debates have been important, and the good news for Romney is that he's done well in recent debates," said David Doyle, former Michigan GOP chairman and now vice president at Marketing Resource Group, a Lansing consulting firm.
Romney's two Florida debate performances gave him a boost to win Florida on Jan. 31, but his relatively weak South Carolina debate performance helped Gingrich, who won that state's Jan. 21 primary.
Two days after the Arizona debate, Romney will be tested again, when he is scheduled to make a major economic address at Ford Field, home of football's Detroit Lions. Michigan's ailing economy — the state unemployment rate in December was 9.3 percent — continues to be the dominant issue there. Romney has stirred some ire by arguing against government bailouts of the auto industry, saying a managed bankruptcy would have been a better option.
"People will be watching this speech very carefully," said Steve Mitchell, a Lansing-based political consultant.
He said the risks for Romney are minimal. "He doesn't have to have a Winston Churchill-like moment. He only has to do well."
While Santorum took the lead in most statewide Michigan polls last week, weekend surveys showed Romney within 2 percentage points, according to an average compiled by RealClearPolitics.com. A poll released Tuesday morning showed Romney ahead by 2.
"What you're seeing is Romney's advertising paying off," Mitchell said.
Romney has been blasting Santorum on his fiscal record as a big spender. The Romney campaign unleashed more attacks Tuesday, releasing to the media a paper that cited Santorum's 16-year record as a congressman and U.S. senator.
"If business as usual in Washington is the problem, Rick Santorum can't be part of the solution," Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul said.
Romney has been blasting Santorum for routinely seeking earmarks, or local projects that lawmakers insert into spending bills.
The former senator also voted for the unfunded Medicare prescription-drug program for seniors in 2003, a vote many conservatives criticize. The program is expected to cost about $68 billion this year.
Santorum has defended his earmarks, saying they helped his state and are a legitimate part of his job. He has said his Medicare vote was a mistake.
A string of fresh controversies also are dogging Santorum.
He accused President Obama on Saturday of promoting an agenda based on "some phony theology," which seemed to question the president's Christian faith.
Santorum later said he was talking about Obama's environmental stands, which Santorum said amounted to putting concern for Earth ahead of people.
Campaign spokeswoman Alice Stewart also said she misspoke Monday when she said on MSNBC that Obama has followed "radical Islamic policies."
The Santorum campaign also had to explain a comment last week from Wyoming billionaire Foster Friess, a major campaign donor. "You know, back in my days, they'd use Bayer aspirin for contraceptives," Friess told MSNBC. "The gals put it between their knees, and it wasn't that costly."
Santorum later said Friess' comment was a "bad off-color joke."
