Michigan Primary Not a Sure Thing for Trump?
DETROIT, Mich. – Four more states vote for president Tuesday and the polls suggest this could be another big night for Donald Trump. But could there be a surprise in the key state of Michigan?
Trump may be leading the delegate race for president, but polls show his lead in the polls is starting to dwindle in some upcoming states, including the big prize: Michigan.
Part of the reason is a sustained attack by his opponents claiming he's simply not a conservative.
"It is easy to talk about making America great again. You can even print that on a baseball cap, but the real question is do you understand the principles and values that made America great in the first place," Sen. Ted Cruz asked.
The Brody File reports from Detroit on whether or not John Kasich can pull off an upset tonight in the Michigan Primary.
There's no doubt Trump is on the defensive. He tried to push back against that narrative at a rally in Mississippi, a southern state that's among the four voting today, where Trump is doing very well.
"People were saying Donald Trump is not a conservative. No. Call me whatever you want. I am very conservative. I'm conservative on trade, I'm conservative in the military, I'm conservative with our vets -- our vets are going to be taken care of. I'm conservative with education. I mean I'm a real conservative, but I'm also a smart and commonsense conservative," Trump said.
The mantle of "smart and commonsense conservative" is one that John Kasich hopes voters embrace, especially in the key state of Michigan. As he indicated last week, he's looking forward to competing in Rust Belt states since he's a Rust Belt governor from neighboring Ohio.
"It's now March Madness and we're moving up north," Kasich said at the debate Thursday night. "To my turf, okay?"
Kasich is positioning himself as the solutions-oriented candidate who is edgy but not over the top like Trump.
"Your job as a politician – and I've been in many offices for a long time – your job is to solve problems and give people an opportunity to realize their purpose. That's what a politician's job is," he said at a Town Hall meeting.
Kasich hopes Tuesday's Michigan primary will be a springboard to better things ahead. He's last in the delegate race, but with upcoming primaries in his home state of Ohio, plus Pennsylvania and Illinois, he thinks he can be the last one standing when the GOP convenes for their convention in Cleveland.
Doing well in Michigan is a key part of the plan. Some polls have suggested he could do well there. Some also show him dead last so it will be interesting to see exactly what the folks in Michigan have to say about John Kasich and his future.