Romney fights to avoid home-state embarrassment
Mitt Romney is fighting to avoid an embarrassing home-state loss in a high-stakes Michigan primary that will not decide the Republican presidential contest but could scar the former Massachusetts just a week before Super Tuesday.
Rival Rick Santorum is calling upon an unusual coalition of tea party activists, religious conservatives and Democrats to help topple Romney and reclaim the momentum in the increasingly heated nomination battle.
Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, confirmed on the eve of the election that he had targeted Michigan Democrats with automated phone calls encouraging them to vote against Romney.
“Romney supported the bailouts for his Wall Street billionaire buddies but opposed the auto bailouts,” the phone call said. “That was a slap in the face to every Michigan worker and we’re not going to let Romney get away with it.