Mitt Romney at Daytona 500. Shouldn't he be in Michigan?
Mitt Romney was at on Sunday to attend the Daytona 500. Rain postponed the race, so he didn鈥檛 get to see NASCAR racers charging around the famous Daytona oval, turning only to the left. (No Massachusetts Moderate jokes, please.)
But here鈥檚 our question: What was he doing in Florida, when there鈥檚 a make-or-break primary in two days at the other end of I-75, in Michigan? Shouldn鈥檛 he have been campaigning in, say, Marquette?
Not necessarily. We think the Florida appearance is indicative of Romney camp confidence and could help him in both the Great Lakes State and the general election, if he makes it that far.
OK, his Daytona walk-around itself was yet another example of Mr. Romney鈥檚 inimitable stiff bonhomie. When he mixes with regular voters, he reminds us of nothing so much as Prince Charles holding a hot dog: He knows he鈥檚 supposed to enjoy it, but he doesn鈥檛 really know where to start.
For instance, at one point Romney noted that he does not 鈥渃losely鈥� follow, as an ardent fan, events of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. But he added, 鈥淚 have some great friends who are NASCAR team owners.鈥�
Is that the best choice of words for a guy who鈥檚 been taking criticism for noting that his wife drives 鈥渟everal Cadillacs鈥�? Maybe not. (Though as an aside, we鈥檒l note that Michiganders are eager to have as many people drive as many Cadillacs as possible.)
However, the Romney campaign got what it generally wanted: photos and coverage of him walking around a racetrack in a windbreaker, mixing and mingling with regular folks. We think the appearance means they鈥檙e increasingly confident about Romney鈥檚 prospects in Tuesday鈥檚 Michigan primary. Polls show he鈥檚 closed the gap on Rick Santorum in the Mitten State, and momentum may be on his side. A new puts him ahead of Mr. Santorum 39 to 37 percent, for example.
鈥淐ompared to a week ago Romney鈥檚 gained 6 points, while Santorum鈥檚 just stayed in place,鈥� concludes PPP.
It鈥檚 a truism of politics that you need to watch what candidates do as opposed to what they say to see how they feel about their prospects. To risk a flight to Florida for a photo op right now probably means Romney Inc. is feeling good. Santorum did not go, despite the fact that he鈥檚 sponsoring a car in the race.
Stock-car racing is popular in Michigan, of course, as is anything to do with Detroit iron. But here鈥檚 the kicker: Overall, NASCAR fans are not as GOP-oriented as you think. So Romney鈥檚 appearance could help him with voters overall.
As conservative commentator S.E. Cupp noted in an article on NASCAR鈥檚 own website prior to the 2008 election, NASCAR鈥檚 audience is massive 鈥� some 70 million fans 鈥� and politically diverse.
鈥淚ts fans vote 35 percent Republican and 28 percent Democratic 鈥� a separation of only 7 percentage points, hardly a convincing argument for NASCAR鈥檚 political leanings,鈥� .
