ALBION, Mich. — If Mitt Romney avoids a humiliating defeat in his native Michigan in Tuesday’s Republican presidential primary, he’ll owe his victory not just to his superior campaign organization and fundraising but to his chief rival’s frequent focus on volatile social issues that do nothing to address the ailing economy that most concerns voters.
Romney just weeks ago was trailing former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum by 15 percentage points in Michigan, a worrisome development given that Romney was born and raised in here and his father, George, was a popular three-term governor in the 1960s. Only recently was Romney able to close that gap and gain a slight lead.
