Mitt Romney's Narrow Michigan Win Avoids Disaster As Super Tuesday Looms

Mitt Romney's narrow win over Rick Santorum in Michigan on Tuesday, combined with his decisive win in Arizona, allowed his campaign a sigh of relief. He knew he had narrowly missed hitting an iceberg. Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, had 41 percent to Santorum's 38 percent, with 99 percent of the vote counted, according to the Associated Press. Romney won Arizona with 47 percent to Santorum's 27 percent, with 89 percent of the vote counted. "We didn't win by a lot but we won by enough and that's all that counts," said Romney, who was measured in his exuberance, reflecting in his body language the knowledge that a long fight still lies ahead. Yet Santorum won almost as many delegates as Romney in Michigan, and still had the potential to tie him on Wednesday morning. All but two of the state's 30 delegates were awarded based on who won each congressional district. Romney won seven districts to Santorum's six, giving him 15 delegates to Santorum's 13, according to the Detroit Free Press. One district remained up in the air, and if Santorum wins it, he'll tie Romney in delegates. Romney won all of Arizona's 29 delegates. Losing the popular vote in Michigan would have been a body blow to Romney's chances at the GOP nomination, and would have thrown the Republican Party into convulsions. For the moment, the tremors and the talk of a late entry into the race by another candidate will be stilled. But having avoided a gaze into the abyss, Romney and his campaign must quickly move to seize the initiative in Washington state, which will caucus Saturday, and then in several of the 10 states that will vote next week on Super Tuesday, a quickening of the primary's pace that stands in stark contrast to the three-week lull that preceded the contests in Michigan and Arizona.