Today's the day of the next big contest. And it all goes down in Michigan...which seems to be having bad weather today [5]. From 'round the Wolverine State:
* McCain get's booed when talking about his thoughts on illegal immigration, (Malkin [6], Hot Air [7], Wizbang [8]). I think his tool for turning off debate on his position, (saying he wouldn't want to call a soldier and tell him that his illegal immigrant mother was being deported), is getting old. I'm sure the other candidates are preparing comeback lines for when he uses it in the next debate.
* Wizbang [9] lays out the stakes for McCain, Romney & Huckabee
* GOP Bloggers [10] pleads w/Michigan Republicans to vote conservative.
* Powerline [11] looks at the latest poll from the Detrot News, (with Romney up 27% to 22% over McCain). Real Clear Politics [12] puts the averages like this:
| Michigan Republican Primary | ||||||||
Tuesday, January 15 | Delegates at Stake: 30* [13] | ||||||||
| Poll | Date | Romney | McCain | Huckabee | Paul | Thompson | Giuliani | Spread |
| RCP Average | 01/09 to 01/14 | 29.0 | 26.3 | 16.3 | 5.8 | 5.0 | 4.2 | Romney +2.7 |
| Reuters/CSpan/Zogby [14] | 01/12 - 01/14 | 26 | 27 | 15 | 8 | 6 | 3 | McCain +1.0 |
| American Res. Group [15] | 01/12 - 01/14 | 30 | 31 | 19 | 9 | 4 | 3 | McCain +1.0 |
| Mitchell Research [16] | 01/12 - 01/14 | 35 | 29 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 3 | Romney +6.0 |
| Detroit News [17] | 01/09 - 01/12 | 26 | 27 | 19 | 4 | 5 | 6 | McCain +1.0 |
| Detroit Free Press [18] | 01/09 - 01/11 | 27 | 22 | 16 | 5 | 4 | 4 | Romney +5.0 |
| Mason-Dixon [19] | 01/09 - 01/11 | 30 | 22 | 17 | 5 | 7 | 6 | Romney +8.0 |
| See More Michigan Republican Primary Polls [20] | Chart [21] | ||||||||
Key point to keep in mind up in Michigan: unlike in the past, if you vote in either party's primary, you have to request that party's ballot, (insead of going into the privacy of the booth and then choosing), and your name and information will be made available to the party you choose. Might be enough to dampen activity by Indies by a point or two.
* Predictions found here: Hot Air [22] | Outside the Beltway [23] | Right Wing News [24]
Related: Romney's going back up [25] on TV in SC.
