A Blurb on Michigan from a Campaign Article

Pre-primary polls show a close race among the three in a state that McCain, as well as Romney, can ill-afford to lose.

"The number one issue in Michigan is jobs," says Rep. Mike Rogers, a Republican from the area around Lansing, who has not endorsed any of the candidates for his party's nomination. "The number two issue in Michigan is jobs. And the number three issue in Michigan is jobs."

Not a surprise.

Michigan's unemployment rate, at 7.4 percent in November, is the highest in the country by a full percentage point, and about 50 percent higher than the national average.

Bureau of Labor Statistics figures show the state shed more than 76,000 jobs in the 12 months ending in November, a period in which the national economy added 1.5 million jobs.

In a further sign of economic distress, Michigan lost population in each of the last two years, according to Census Bureau estimates, as the auto industry was struck with a series of blows.