Mitt Romney’s victory in the Arizona primary Tuesday was expected, in part because of the considerable population of Arizona voters who share Romney’s Mormon faith.
But his narrow win in Michigan, where he beat former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum by only 3 percentage points, highlights the lack of intensity in Romney’s support.
Romney, who was born and raised in Michigan and whose father was governor there, got 41 percent of the vote, compared with Santorum’s 38 percent, Texas Congressman Ron Paul’s 12 percent and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s 7 percent.
Still, a win is a win, and the former Massachusetts governor surely hopes the Arizona and Michigan victories salvage momentum he lost when Santorum roared past him for wins in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri.
All four candidates are now looking with eagerness — or dread — toward Super Tuesday, just five days from today. Tennessee, Georgia and eight other states will hold primaries or caucuses that day, with hundreds of delegates up for grabs.