With an ever-increasing field of potential candidates, the 2008 run for the White House is starting to heat up in earnest.
Seemingly every day, a new candidate either formally has thrown his or her hat into the ring, formed an exploratory committee or has begun glad-handing around the country in order to drum up support in a bid for the presidency.
The latest addition to the roster of presidential hopefuls is Mitt Romney, the Republican former governor of Massachusetts.
Romney, however, didn't announce his candidacy in Massachusetts, where he lives. He announced it in Michigan.
The obvious question is, of course, why?
Well, Romney was born here in Michigan, his brother, Scott, is an MSU trustee and his father, George Romney, is former governor. So it could have been purely for the hometown connection, but there's probably more to it.
Michigan, in election years, can be a vital state for candidates. Michigan hasn't voted Republican since the 1988 presidential election and, given his ties to the state, Romney has the potential to be the first Republican to snatch the vote since George Bush Sr.
What will help in that regard, beyond his family, is his history of fostering economic growth. His ability to help Massachusetts' economy is part of the reason voters elected the Republican governor in the first place.
Michigan's abysmal economy is no great secret, and our reputation as a perpetual underdog, salt-of-the-earth industrial state is long-standing. So, in announcing his candidacy here, Romney can give Michigan voters the impression of solidarity with the "working man" and instill hope that, if elected, he'll help pull Michigan's economy out of its downward spiral.
But beyond just appealing to voters in this state, Romney's move was shrewd on a national level, too.
Identified as the moderate Republican governor of the extremely Democratic state of Massachusetts, who in the past has stood for both gay rights and abortion rights, Romney has to demonstrate to Republican voters that he can toe the party line. Throwing his hat into the ring in a state that recently constitutionally banned gay marriage was a politically savvy step in that direction.
It also is interesting to note that Romney did not directly mention President Bush in his speech, and therefore tries to distance himself from the administration like many other Republicans are doing these days.
So was Romney's choice to announce his candidacy in Michigan calculated to play into voters' hands? You bet. But if the Republicans hope to win in 2008, subtle plays to the middle of the road like this are exactly what they need to overcome the massive liability that currently occupies the White House.
