Republican presidential candidate John McCain and wife Cindy answered questions from the crowd, posed for pictures, and signed autographs after Sunday’s rally at the Kellogg Center.
Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., made separate visits to East Lansing and Lansing, respectively, this weekend in an effort to earn votes prior to Tuesday’s primary election.
McCain and Romney lead the Republican race in Michigan, but neither has a clear advantage, according to polls conducted by realclearpolitics.com.
Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, spoke to about 100 people Friday about Michigan’s economy at the Small Business Association of Michigan offices in Lansing. The Lansing stop was a familiar one for Romney, who was born in Michigan and is the son of former Michigan Gov. George W. Romney.
“I remember fondly the days of Michigan’s glorious past,” he said to supporters. “When I was growing up, Michigan was the envy of the nation and the economic powerhouse of the world.
“It breaks my heart to see Michigan going through a one-state recession.”
McCain had a similar message for the hundreds of clamorous supporters who welcomed him by shouting “Mac is back” for about a minute Sunday at Kellogg Center. The Arizona senator discussed Michigan’s economy, the nation’s energy crisis and the Iraq war at the meeting.
“We all know there’s been difficulties here, and there have been challenges,” he said to supporters. “But when I say old jobs aren’t coming back, there are older jobs. But there are new jobs, and we can create jobs.
“The future of this state is bright and wonderful because the smartest, the most innovative, the best technology and the best education is right here in the state of Michigan.”
While McCain supporters hoisted signs and several other homemade posters hung from the stage, many people in attendance were not affiliated with the Republican Party.
McCain is the only major candidate scheduled to visit campus before Tuesday’s primary, drawing many liberal and undecided voters to Kellogg Center.
“I like that he came out and talked to us and made us feel important enough to make a campaign stop here,” said Cooper Forbes, a finance junior who is undecided in the presidential race. “It’s kind of an ignorant move to skip a huge group of people like college students, to not come out and tell them what you’re about.”
McCain’s crowd was more politically diverse – Romney’s audience comprised mostly of Republicans and a few former Democrats.
Ananda Jenkins, a 28-year-old MSU graduate and Hastings resident, said she is convinced that Romney is the candidate who can lead, despite Romney’s Republican background.
“I’m usually a Democrat, so I had to see both sides, and I was a little more leery before deciding on Mitt,” Jenkins said.
“But after looking and being more educated about the issues and how he stands and why he stands that way, I’ve come to appreciate him and I will vote for him.”
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