Mitt Romney’s campaign is in trouble in Michigan.
As part of the 2008 primary season, he promised that he was going to help the people of Michigan get back to work if elected President, and people believed him. Auto workers turned out in droves to support him. He won the 2008 Michigan primary with their help and the support of a lot of others, but eventually withdrew from the race in favor of John McCain.
McCain lost to Obama, and Obama took office.
The economy continued to tank. The unemployment rate in Michigan skyrocketed, and the talk turned to bailing out the auto industry to save it.
Romney went on record opposing the bailout and made critical comments about the bailout, which a majority of the auto workers, both laid off and current, supported. The Obama Administration went forward with the bailout.
When Romney went public with his opposition to the bailout, it looked like he had broken his promise to help the people of Michigan to get back to work. When he said that the auto industry should go bankrupt, that didn’t sit well with people in Michigan cities where the auto companies were the largest employers. I can remember people down here talking about Romney’s statements and how displeased they were with him.
I think if Romney carries Michigan this time around, his majority will be a lot slimmer than it was in 2008, because I don’t see the auto industry supporting him this time around, the way they did four years ago.
There is no guarantee that Romney will carry this state at all. It all depends on who turns out to vote on Election Day. Whether the rest of Michigan was for the bailout, or against it, he’s lost a major block of voters. That’s how it is.
