Santorum still faces uphill race in Michigan, state Republican chairman says

The Ticket

Fresh off his triple-state victory Tuesday night, Rick Santorum declared he will be heavily focusing on Michigan's upcoming primary.

But Bobby Schostak, chairman of the Michigan Republican party, made clear Wednesday that his state is still Mitt Romney country through and through.

"I think that he's got a bit of momentum now," Schostak said of Santorum during a roundtable with reporters in Washington. "But, you know, Michigan is kind of home turf for the Romney family and so he's got a bit of a uphill battle in that regard just to get himself situated and positioned."

Schostak added that he does believe the former Pennsylvania senator will find "a lot" of support among conservatives and "make an impact" in the state's Feb. 28 election. But he added: "Is it enough to overcome the Romney family legacy in Michigan? Time will tell."

Schostak earlier noted that tickets sold out in two hours for an event featuring former Massachusetts Governor Romney (whose father served as governor of Michigan), prompting organizers Wednesday to move the location to Ford Field football stadium-- which seats 65,000.

"I think that the Romney campaign will be successful in Michigan," Schostak said. "I don't see a scenario where they're not."

Schostak cited Southeast Michigan as a place where Romney can expect to easily find success while the Upper Peninsula and rural areas will likely be more of a challenge for the candidate.

Romney's perceived strength in the state, for now, isn't deterring candidates from investing in competition there. As Schostak noted, Michigan will allocate delegates proportionally, giving all those who compete in the state a chance to pick up delegate support.

Plus, Schostak said, he believes candidates will be eager to use Michigan's primary as a "gateway into Super Tuesday," March 6, when 10 states will hold nominating contests. Michigan and Arizona (which also holds its primary Feb. 28) are the only major contests between now and Super Tuesday.

The state party is also looking ahead to this fall.

The Obama administration has been championing the president and the federal government's efforts to revitalize Michigan's economy and the auto industry amid reports of a drop in Michigan unemployment to 9.3 percent.

"Michigan voters are seeing the kind of changes in Michigan that we all were hoping for," Schostak said. But Schostak strongly rejects the administration's efforts to take credit for the improvements--signaling the strategy Republicans will use in Michigan when competing against Obama this fall.

"Most of [the recovery] happened this year. Most of its happened under Governor Snyder and the legislature," Schostak said of Republican Rick Snyder and the Republican-controlled state legislature. He also credited the products being released by the auto industry as another reason for the rebound.

"People in Michigan are more confident, employers are hiring, and things are just generally getting better. And I think the credit goes where it belongs."

Some Republicans, including former George W. Bush advisor Karl Rove, were rankled this week by a Superbowl ad by Chrysler featuring Clint Eastwood which Rove said appeared to be touting the Obama administration's support for the auto bailout. But Schostak said after Wednesday's roundtable that it didn't even occur to him that the ad could be cast as politically-motivated until he saw the backlash in the news.

Schostak on Wednesday also defended another Superbowl ad--one that ran locally in support of former Rep. Pete Hoekstra, who is running for Senate. The commercial sparked calls of racial insensitivity for featuring an Asian woman speaking broken English. Schostak defended Hoekstra Wednesday, calling him a "man of integrity" with "high values." Schostak said Hoekstra explained his agency was making a satirical ad. "I take him at his word," Schostak said.

Correction 7:47 p.m. ET: This story has been corrected to say the Upper Peninsula will be a challenging region, not a lock, for Romney.

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