The seemingly endless GOP primary goes through the states of Michigan and Arizona tonight, where Romney and Santorum are the key competitors, while Gingrich and Paul focus elsewhere. BBC reports: "Both men have been campaigning intensively over the past few days. Pre-primary polls gave Mr Romney a marginal lead in Michigan, and a stronger advantage in Arizona. Analysts say a victory in his home state of Michigan is key for Mr Romney. He has long been seen as the front-runner and favourite for the nomination - and currently leads the race for delegates - but has struggled to win over a strong majority of conservative Republican voters. Most polls will close in Michigan at 20:00 EST (01:00 GMT), where 30 delegates are at stake. Delegates will be awarded to candidates in each congressional district, with two at-large delegates also awarded. In Arizona, where polls will close at 19:00 local time (02:00 GMT), 29 delegates will be awarded to the winner of the state's primary."
Again from BBC, here are some of the findings from the exit poll"
- six out of 10 voters in Michigan on Tuesday were Republicans. The state's primary rules do allow others to vote, and around 10% of all voters identified themselves as Democrats.
- one in four said they had made up their mind in the past few days
- more than 40% supported the government bailout of the automotive industry
- most voters said the economy was their top priority
- in both Michigan and Arizona, about half of voters said they "strongly" backed who they had voted for.
- Six out of 10 Michigan primary voters described themselves as "conservative" - the lowest proportion of conservative voters in primaries so far.
Once polling closes, live updates can be found at the following maps:
Michigan:
Arizona:
And some live webcasts.
MSNBC:
#999; margin-top: 5px; background: transparent; text-align: center; width: 420px;">Visit msnbc.com for #999 !important; font-weight: normal !important; height: 13px; color: #5799db !important;">breaking news, #999 !important; font-weight: normal !important; height: 13px; color: #5799db !important;">world news, and #999 !important; font-weight: normal !important; height: 13px; color: #5799db !important;">news about the economy
and FOX News:
