AP reports that he “coasted to victory” in Arizona and has a slight lead in Michigan. But…
Initial exit polling in the Michigan primary suggests that in a tight battle between Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, the votes of Democrats could prove decisive in the key Republican presidential skirmish — and more of those votes are going to Santorum.
According to CNN, 10% of those who voted in the primary identified themselves as Democrats, representing a larger share of the electorate than in the 2008 vote. Of that group, 50% said they voted for Santorum, 19% for Ron Paul and 15% for Romney, exit polling showed.
At a press conference this morning:
…when asked why Michigan seemed to be proving a more difficult state for him to win than expected, Mr. Romney again returned to the Santorum “robocalls.”
“I think the hardest thing about predicting what’s going to happen today is whether Senator Santorum’s effort to call Democrat households and tell them to come out and vote against Mitt Romney is going to be successful or not,” he said.
Later, in the lobby of the hotel where Mr. Romney and his staff are staying, aides sought to play up Mr. Santorum’s Democrats-to-the-polls strategy, making a point of chatting with reporters about the tactic.
Though Mr. Romney stepped up Tuesday to take some of the blame for his struggling campaign, if he loses tonight, expect him and his team to lay as much of the results as possible at the feet of Mr. Santorum – and his pesky Democrats.
Kos carefully counting chickens before they’re hatched:
it’s clear that the combined anti-Romney air barrage from the Obama campaign, its Super PAC, and MoveOn kept Romney from running away with Michigan, and made it close enough that crossover voting—prodded by the Michigan Democratic Party, Michael Moore, various local unions, and us—might deliver Santorum the victory.