Rod Dreher thinks that Huckabee has a shot in Michigan, in large part because "Michigan is a state that’s been harder hit than most by the economic downturn. It’s tailor-made for Huckabee and his economic nationalism in that respect." He suggests that Huckabee make a pilgrimage to the Kirk Center while he’s at it.
He also cites this piece, which mentions Michigan as part of a wider and longer "divide and conquer" Huckabee prospect: the longer the race remains three-way, the better Huckabee’s ultimate prospects are.
What gets mentioned but lost in the shuffle here is that west Michigan is chock-full of socially conservative evangelicals, and the Huckabee people know it.
They cite this survey to buttress their hopes.
I dunno. There is a three-way race in Michigan, with Hillary running essentially unopposed on the Democratic side. Unless independents want to vote for undecided, they’ll vote in the Republican primary, which I suspect will help McCain a little more than Huckabee. I’d bet right now that McCain wins narrowly over Huckabee, with Romney third, Tom Monaghan to the contrary notwithstanding.
If Romney comes in third, it's over for him.
A pilgrimage to the Kirk Center. Yeah, that'll do it.
Though McCain may get some of the independent vote, many will go to Ron Paul.
Ron Paul will cut the budget deficit greatly. That means that money that China and Japan are lending the federal government will then go to buying our exports. That means jobs.
Also, Paul will focus on the defense of this country, which many independents feel is more important than bombing Iran. He will defend our borders.
Ron Paul sees people as individuals. He cares about each of us. That appeals to independents. Hey, that appeals to all of us.