Michigan-Native Wins State Primary, Most Delegates
Former Massachusetts’ Governor and Michigan-native Mitt Romney avoided what many pundits described as a potentially catastrophic defeat Tuesday by winning the Michigan GOP Presidential Primary popular vote. Governor Romney’s chief opponent, former Pennsylvania U.S. Senator Rick Santorum, had a double-digit lead in most polls a few weeks prior to the vote.
Mr. Romney’s victory in the popular vote, 41 percent to 38 percent, and his victory the same night in Arizona will move him a bit closer to the 1,144 delegates necessary to win the GOP nomination.
His success in Michigan, however, did not come without costs. First, Romney’s campaign and his SuperPAC spent approximately $3.5 million to win his home state. Secondly, Governor Romney watched Mr. Santorum walk out of Michigan with at least 14 of the 30 delegates awarded by the Primary.
The Michigan Republican Party announced Thursday afternoon that the Credential Committee would be awarding 16 delegates to Governor Romney and 14 to Senator Santorum, a move that had quickly resulted in an outcry from Santorum supporters, Democrats and even members of the Credential Committee itself.
Senator Santorum’s campaign is expected to appeal the delegate distribution to the Republican National Committee.