LIVONIA, Mich. – In 2008, Wayne County was the site of a Romney landslide. He beat John McCain by 18 points here, largely on the strength of his vote in suburbs like this.
I found plenty of Romney-skepticism at the Calvin Coolidge school, which hosted two precincts in one large gym. Patricia Cirocco, an occupational therapist, voted for Santorum, having made up her mind only in the final days of the campaign. “I was thinking about voting for Newt, but he doesn’t have a chance here,” she said. Santorum was right on her issues, even if he talked too much about religion. “Romney’s just arrogant.”
Kevin Gately, a recent college grad working now at Costco, voted after he got off his early shift. He cast a ballot for Ron Paul, proudly. “I researched Romney and the others but they didn’t hold up to scrutiny,” he said. “I want a sound currency and I want the wars to end.” His only problem with Paul? “It’s not really a problem. I just don’t think he goes far enough. Electing him would only be the first step to fixing things.”
Finally, I met Heather Joseph, a Romney backer who owned her own equestrian business. “Mitt’s the best Republican candidate in every way,” she said. “He’s the most electable. He’s the best on the issues.” What was his flaw? She thought about it.
“I suppose he can come off as arrogant.”
