Changing Gears

Conventional wisdom says there’s no way Mitt Romney can lose the Michigan Republican primary — after all, he was born in Detroit, grew up in suburban Oakland County, his father was governor, and he won the primary in 2008.

But two new polls show Rick Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, leading Romney in Michigan, where the primary takes place Feb. 28.

According to USA TODAY, an American Research Group poll shows Santorum leading Romney 33 percent to 27 percent among likely Republican voters. Newt Gingrich has 21 percent. A poll by Public Policy Polling shows Santorum with 39 percent, to 24 percent for Romney.

According to PPP, only 26 percent of primary voters actually consider him to be a Michigan native, while 62 percent do not. Only 39 percent have a favorable opinion of his father, the late Gov. George Romney, while 46 percent have no opinion about him.

For all that, says PPP, “Santorum probably shouldn’t get too comfortable.” Only 47 percent of voters saythey’re strongly committed to their candidate and 53 percent are open to changing their minds in the next two weeks.

Romney and Santorum both have a series of appearances scheduled in Michigan in the next few weeks, including Romney’s Feb. 24 speech to the Economic Club of Detroit at Ford Field. Santorum now will make his own speech to the Econ Club on Thursday at Cobo Center.