Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney addresses the crowd gathered at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Southfield Tuesday.
Southfield — It was standing room only in Southfield’s Embassy Suites Hotel on Tuesday night as hundreds of supporters of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney chanted “Michigan for Mitt” and celebrated a Michigan primary victory.
“Tonight is the beginning of a comeback for America,” Romney told the raucous crowd. “Michigan heard and Michigan voted tonight. Tonight proves you can’t tell an American there’s something they can’t do.”
Throughout his campaign, Romney’s status as a Michigan native has been one of his major selling points.
MSU alumna Corenna Aldrich, who grew up watching Romney’s parents set a local example, said she thinks Romney can help pull the state out of its economic slump.
“For one thing, I knew his parents and I know what kind of a family they are,” the 75-year-old Pontiac resident said. “Being from Michigan, he knows what the situation is and he will have a better inside route to getting it changed.”
During his speech, Romney assured the crowd of his commitment to reviving the struggling economy of Michigan and the nation.
“I will never accept defeat for any industry here in America,” the presidential hopeful said, alluding to the state’s struggling automotive sector.
As he closed his speech with his wife, Ann, by his side, Romney used the opportunity to ask the audience a few questions.
“Is Washington, D.C., broken?” he asked. “Can it be fixed? Are we the team that’s gonna get the job done?”
Between clapping and cheers, each question was answered with a resounding “Yes!”
While Romney has secured Michigan’s support on the Republican side, whether Michigan will have delegates at the Democratic National Convention is still up in the air.
In moving the Democratic primary from Feb. 5 to Jan. 15, the Michigan Democratic Party lost all of its delegates in the national convention, leaving the primary — at least for the moment — worthless. Mark Brewer, chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party, said he still expects Michigan to receive its delegates in the coming weeks.
“I’m pretty confident we’re going to have our delegates seated,” Brewer said. “In the past, when states have had penalties like this imposed on them, they have always been lifted before the convention.”
If recovered, the uncommitted delegates would be free to vote for whomever they choose at the Democratic National Convention.
Brewer said the decision to omit Michigan’s delegates would damage the party in November.
“Michigan is a really important state for the Democratic candidate,” Brewer said. “They can’t win the presidency without winning Michigan. It would be political suicide for a Democratic candidate not to figure out a way to have our delegate seated.”
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