Michigan

(Newser) - After huge cash infusions won him second place in Iowa and New Hampshire, Mitt Romney is seizing on hopes for economic—and campaign—rejuvenation in his home state of Michigan, the Chicago Tribune reports. In a GM plant where 200 workers were just laid off, Romney attacked policies today that have let jobs disappear "again and again and again"—part of his strategy in a state where 7.4% are out of work. More »

(Newser) - Its primary set for Tuesday, the Republican presidential front-runners have been rallying in Michigan, where economic issues are taking center stage. John McCain proposed a training program for workers whose jobs have been eliminated. Mitt Romney is playing up family connections in the state his father once governed; wife Ann proclaimed, "Mitt and I are Michiganders," the Detroit Free Press reports. More »

(Newser) - Rushing through a 7-minute concession speech last night after he came in a disappointing second again, Mitt Romney turned immediately to Michigan, which looks like make-or-break for the former governor. Aides blamed the loss on the mauling Romney got in anti-endorsements in New Hampshire newspapers, and “authenticity” issues they couldn't shake, despite the shock-and-awe spending, ABC reports. More »

(Newser) - After his national operation was dismantled last summer for lack of funds, John McCain's aides thought New Hampshire would be just a trip down memory lane before results drove the final nail in his campaign's coffin. Instead, the Arizona senator now finds himself arguably the GOP frontrunner after his big win in New Hampshire, the Washington Post reports More »

(Newser) - Hopeful he will win the hearts of New Hampshire's undecided, GOP candidate Mitt Romney was effusive and optimistic about tonight's primary. But the ex-Massachusetts governor stressed upcoming races in case he loses here. He vowed to "connect with Michigan," where his father was governor and where he travels next. "Michigan is very personal for me," he told Salt Lake City's Deseret Morning News. More »

(Newser) - After tomorrow's New Hampshire primary separates the early winners from losers, the trail will change radically, the New York Times reports. South Carolina, Nevada, and Florida will bring more diverse racial demographics into play and turn up the heat on bread-and-butter issues. "All of a sudden you’re playing on a magnified stage," recalls a strategist who worked with John McCain in 2000. More »

(Newser) - A Michigan woman allegedly aiming a gun at her husband killed the couple’s flat-screen TV instead, the Detroit Free Press reports. The woman, 61, explained to a police dispatcher that her husband "pushed me over the edge" but insisted she wasn't trying to hurt him. She said her spouse was dealing poorly with a stroke and a family death, and was "taking it out on me." More »