Romney wins Michigan; Hillary beats Uncommitted 55-40

With Michigan billed as a “must-win” for Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor did not disappoint.

With more than 90 percent of precincts reporting, Romney led Arizona senator John McCain 39 percent to 30 percent, with former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee trailing at 16 percent.  For the first time this election cycle, Republican turnout outpaced that of the Democratic field, largely because most of the Democratic candidates removed their names from the ballot after the Democratic National Committee punished Michigan for placing its primary before Feb. 5. 

Nevertheless, New York senator and former First Lady Hillary Clinton (who kept her name on the ballot) received more than 50,000 votes more than McCain, giving her 55 percent of the Democratic vote.  “Uncommitted” trailed at around 40 percent, giving rise to discussion of what supporters of Barack Obama and John Edwards could do at the Democratic National Convention if the DNC relented and allowed Michigan’s delegates to be seated.

Romney’s win was perhaps less a momentum-builder than a relevance-preserver:  his strategy was largely built upon winning in the early states, and losses in Iowa and New Hampshire called into question his legitimacy as a top-tier candidate.  With the win, the field heads to South Carolina, where Romney, McCain and Huckabee have all promised strong performances. 

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