He was the leader on voter judgments about his ability to handle international situations. Almost half of the GOP voters cited either the war in Iraq or terrorism as the most important issue facing the country. McCain led by a large margin among both of these groups of voters.
Of the Republican voters who said the war in Iraq was the top issue, McCain beat Romney 2-to-1. About two in 10 Republicans mentioned terrorism as their top concern. Again, McCain took those voters with 43 percent compared to Romney’s 24 percent.
Michigan will help:
Michigan will represent a last stand for Romney, who grew up in the state and whose father served there as governor. But his prospects are hardly sunny there, given that McCain won Michigan in 2000.
With no Democratic race to speak of in Michigan, the open GOP primary will likely attract droves of independent voters who historically have been drawn to McCain.
If it’s McCain versus Clinton this fall, he’ll be very hard to beat.
The Dish 