Did Romney's Michigan roots help him in that state?
Vice President Christian Man:
He grew up there and his dad was the governor during the 1960's but could some of his lasting memory have helped there? He lost by around 9 but still greatly improved among McCain 4 years earlier.
Redban:
No, I don’t think so. Romney claimed Massachusetts as his home state, and his father, who had been dead for 17 years by 2012, was governor about 40 years prior to Election Day 2012. I don’t think his ties to the state meant much in 2012
So why did Michigan swing further than PA, WI, MN, and the other related states compared to 2008? … it was more that Obama overperformed in Michigan in 2008. Obama’s 17% margin in 2008 was a bit excessive for the state’s political bent. Michigan in 2008 voted similar to Washington and even further left than New Jersey and Oregon. Michigan was really never so heavily blue
The state got hit especially hard by the financial crisis, which lead to the bailout in 2009. So the auto industry’s collapse played a role. another smaller factor was that McCain’s decision to pull out of Michigan got so much publicity., I’d guess some McCain supporters in the state might’ve gotten disheartened and stayed home.
ModerateRadical:
I think he lost a lot of goodwill in Michigan when he published that "Let Detroit Go Bankrupt" op-ed in the New York Times. I don't believe he actually said those words specifically, but the headline appeared pretty damning. Plus, everything about the way he ran his campaign might lead a casual observer to believe that he could've plausibly said it.
EJ24:
"I love Michigan, the trees are the right height."
- Mitt Romney, 2012
Jim Crow:
No I don't see how it helped him at all. Michigan has been trending for a while and he was part of its "benefit" for whatever it was worth in a state he lost by 8 or 9 points.
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