With big wins yesterday in the Michigan and Arizona primaries Sen. John McCain's "Straight Talk Express" left two more bumps in the road for Gov. George W. Bush.
On the back of Democrats and independents, McCain beat Bush 51 percent to 43 percent in Michigan and 60 percent to 36 percent in his home state of Arizona, with 97 and 82 percent of precincts reporting respectively.
With McCain overcoming his defeat last weekend in the South Carolina primary, these wins affirmed his contention for the Republican nomination -- at least for now.
McCain's candidacy continued to yield high voter turnout, as citizens poured to the polls in Michigan and Arizona. Last night, The New York Times estimated that at least one million voters turned out for the Michigan election -- more than doubling the turnout from primaries there four and eight years ago.
McCain said the high voter turnout showed his campaign to be an example of the type of successful exercise of the democratic process that had been lacking in the nation.
Michigan was the first large-state primary, with 58 delegates to the convention at stake. It is the eighth largest state, and is characterized by a highly competitive two-party system, growing prosperity and an innovative economy -- making it the perfect place for presidential candidates to solicit.
Even after yesterday's primary, Bush is still considered the front runner, but McCain can now entertain valid hopes of a revival of momentum that he needs to carry him to the White House.
Despite Bush's efforts to adopt the reform tag line, McCain has kept the title as the "real reformer" with over 80 percent casting him that way in some exit polls.
Also according to exit polls, campaign finance reform is a popular issue among voters, with 68 percent commenting it would improve the political process. Social Security funding edged tax cuts by a slim margin. And a candidate who "stands up for his beliefs" continues to be the most sought-after quality, as it has been in all primaries this year.
The Michigan campaign
After the New Hampshire primary, the race turned into a slew of bitter accusations and unprincipled campaign tactics on both sides. To feed these ongoing political battles, Bush has drained an overwhelming amount from his coffers to launch attack ads on his adversary, while McCain has collected more and more monetary support from the Internet, nearly catching up to Bush's large, yet diminishing treasury.
Bush complained that McCain's claim likening him to the Clinton-Gore administration was the "lowest blow" of the campaign. McCain responded by presenting himself as the only candidate who could win the presidency with the GOP nomination and asserting that Bush has abandoned the vital center to Gore.
The general electorate in Michigan was more balanced than in South Carolina. Half of voters describe themselves as conservative in Michigan, while 60 percent attested to the same in South Carolina.
Christian Conservatives amount to 34 percent of South Carolina voters.
In South Carolina, McCain had said "it was very clear that we were wiped out by the so-called Christian right, and that's where a lot of this hate stuff was directed." This surely wasn't the case in Michigan and Arizona last night.
Bush apparently suffered in Michigan for allying himself with the far right of South Carolina. Earlier, Bush had made a deal with anti-abortion activists to maintain the rigid party platform prohibiting all abortions.
McCain, on the other hand, modified that to accept cases of rape, incest, or threat to the life of the mother. This stance has received support from the many of the Republican women.
Among Republican voters, Bush drew almost twice as much support as McCain. Democrats, who did not have a primary of their own yesterday, composed almost two out of every 10 voting in yesterday's primary, and independents made up about one-third of the vote. As moderate votes hold the key to presidential elections, McCain reached across party lines and was successful.
McCain said during the South Carolina primary that he would appreciate the Independent and Democrat vote, tying it into his visions of leadership. "A formula for success," he asserted, "is like that of the Ronald Reagan. The whole essence of the Republican Party should be to reach across party lines and appeal to a large cross-section of voters. That's the way you lead."
Michigan Governor John Engler, who put his reputation on the line by backing Bush, confessed that he might have miscalculated. Surprisingly, it appeared that the Engler machine drew an equal backlash of support for McCain.
The future
Now the campaigns focus on March 7, also known as "Super Tuesday" which include the coveted states of California and New York.
In California, it is also reported that the only Republican state official, Secretary of State Bill Jones will announce his support for McCain today. This announcement could send a message to Californians, which could be a large boost to McCain.
Its still a very steep climb for McCain however. Almost all the upcoming primaries are closed, meaning only Republicans can vote in them. If the past primaries are any indication -- even those McCain won overall -- that spells trouble for the senator, who has difficulty attracting GOP voters.
