WARREN, Mich. - Arriving in the state where he was born to make a crucial stand before Tuesday's primary, Mitt Romney yesterday emphasized his twin qualities as a Michigan native and a Washington outsider.
"I watched with some great concern as Michigan dipped into a one-state recession, and it pains me to see that," he said in an unusually brief speech before a small crowd at Macomb Community College. "And I hear from time to time from Washington politicians that they're aware of the difficulties that Michigan is having, but what have they done?"
Romney named only Senator John McCain, who beat him in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary and has become the primary target for the former Massachusetts governor.
Romney described Michigan's economy as a "canary in the mine shaft," suffering in part because of "unfunded mandates" placed by the federal government on corporations such as Detroit's automakers against their interests.
"I want to make sure that if we're going to have a change in fuel standards, that this has been worked out with our domestic manufacturers in a way that helps them rather than hurts them," he said.
Romney also drew a small crowd later yesterday in Lansing, the Associated Press reported. But he did win endorsements yesterday from two newspapers, the Oakland Press and the Grand Rapids Press, which in its editorial said, "when it comes to Michigan's challenges and needs, the passion and knowledge of Mr. Romney tip the scales in his favor."
On Michigan's airwaves so far, voters have not seen the kinds of attack ads prevalent in Iowa and New Hampshire.
Romney plans to begin airing a television spot today in Michigan that focuses on his economic message and reminds voters of his Michigan roots.
"I grew up in Michigan when Michigan was the pride of America," Romney says in the ad, as footage of the auto industry's heyday appears on the screen. "It breaks my heart to see us in a one-state recession."
"I'll work every day to change Washington and bring us back, because Michigan is personal to me," Romney concludes as a snapshot appears of him as a little boy with his father, George, a three-term governor of Michigan.
Romney aired attack ads against Mike Huckabee in Iowa and McCain in New Hampshire, but some analysts believe they might have backfired. Romney finished second in both states, making Michigan a close-to must-win state for the former Massachusetts governor's presidential hopes.
McCain, who returns today to Michigan to campaign through the primary, yesterday launched a television ad citing endorsements from the state's two largest newspapers - the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News - highlighting their praise for him as a straight shooter and his appeal to independent voters, who were key to his 2000 primary win in Michigan.
Huckabee, the other candidate in the top three in recent polls, spoke yesterday to the Detroit Economic Club and claimed the endorsement among Republican candidates of the 160,000-member International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, his second big labor nod.
The support should help him in Michigan, along with the backing of evangelicals.
In a conference call with reporters, Huckabee said he would be happy with a "respectable" showing in Michigan.
"Logically, we shouldn't be in the mix at all, but we are," he said.
