As Michigan's Presidential Primary nears on February 28th, it's interesting to see that the national news media is beginning to think we may be important.  John Gizzi at Human Events notes that not since George H.W. Bush carried Michigan over Michael Dukakis in 1988 has a Republican presidential candidate won the Water Wonderland's electoral votes.  In the 24 years since, Democrat presidential candidates have won Michigan with ease.  And of course we all remember with disgust that John McCain's campaign publicly wrote off the need to work in Michigan in 2008, causing major embarrassment to his supporters here.
 
State Republican Chairman Bobby Schostak vows that 2012 will be a different story.  In an exclusive interview with Human Events, the party chair said without hesitation, "The race here is so close that [Michigan's 16 electoral votes] are Barack Obama's to lose."  A recent EPIC-MRA poll showed that, among likely voters, Mitt Romney would defeat Obama statewide by a margin of 46% to 41%, and Newt Gingrich only narrowly trails Obama 45% to 40%. Michigan is usually considered one of eight states that are critical to electing a President. 
 
Schostak went on to explain that the eventual Republican nominee would not consider writing off Michigan in large part because, "...there is a high level of stress here and anger at Obama for his performance.  And you sense the same kind of energy in the intensity of our volunteers."  As an example of what he meant, the GOP party leader pointed to the recent, much-watched election in Flint, where Republican State Representative Paul Scott (the lone African-American Republican in the state legislature), was narrowly recalled.  Republican volunteers from all over the state knocked on more than 60,000 doors in that election, and Schostak pointed out that what they heard from voters was, "...a lot of anger directed at Barack Obama.  They feel he promised a lot in '08, and has hoodwinked America."
 
Along with an energized traditional base of party activists, Schostak cited the role of Michigan's 50-plus Tea Party chapters as pivotal to the eventual GOP nominee carrying the state over Obama.  Where the relationship between traditional party organizations and the newer, more outspoken Tea Partiers has been somewhat frosty in other states, it is quite warm in Michigan.  Schostak  said, "We have a unique relationship with the Tea Party movement - they have a seat at the table, and whether their members are brand-new to politics or have come back after being out of politics for 30 years, they are respected and honored here."

The Saginaw County Republican Party illustrates this well, with new Tea Party members on the executive committee.  As a further measure of the Tea Party movements' power in Michigan, in 2010 they helped to give Republicans control of both houses of the state legislature, two new US representatives and a sweep of all statewide offices, led by Governor Snyder.