Why Michigan is Mitt Romney’s D-Day

George Stephanopoulos

Bottom Line

All eyes are on Michigan and if Mitt Romney can pull off a win in this large industrial state.

Carter Eskew, a Democrat, weighed in Tuesday writing that Romney will not win the nomination if he doesn't win the Michigan primary first.

Eskew might be going a bit too far but it's hard to overstate the importance of Michigan and the Romney campaign is taking the Feb. 28 primary very seriously — after all, they are lagging in the polls in a state they won four years ago.

The Romney campaign is outspending Rick Santorum by 50 to 1 in television ads and trying to paint Santorum as pro earmarks and against right to work laws. They're trying to do to Santorum what they did to Newt Gingrich in Florida. But Michigan is a different state at a different point in the race and Santorum is not as vulnerable as Gingrich.

Bottom Line: If Romney can't win Michigan he'll have to fight this all the way to the convention in order to secure the nomination.