Santorum Could Grab Michigan From Romney

Could Rick Santorum pull off a win in Michigan, where Mitt Romney grew up during his father's tenure as governor? The latest Public Policy Poll shows that it's a definite possibility—Santorum leads Romney 39% to 24% in the state—and a half-dozen insiders tell Politico that Santorum's campaign is considering making a bold move in Michigan's Feb. 28 primary as well as in Ohio's, which comes on Super Tuesday. Officially, Santorum's strategy remains the same: Take the contests state by state, delegate by delegate, and grind out wins in inexpensive, right-leaning states. But wins in Michigan and Ohio could mean a dramatic shift in Santorum's race against Romney, and could render the remaining candidates all but irrelevant, notes Politico.

"If we can get it to a two-person race, I feel very confident that we will be the nominee," says one Santorum strategist. And in Michigan and Ohio, "Santorum’s blue-collar background versus Romney’s Wall Street background, we believe is a great contrast to have." In both states, the campaign has brought on state directors and is preparing to run ads, and Santorum has speeches lined up in Michigan this week. But Santorum's campaign coffers and that of his super PAC still aren't overflowing, meaning he must continue to run a low-budget operation that has to be pretty picky about which spots it sinks six-figure sums into. (More Rick Santorum stories.)