Jobs a top concern in Michigan

HOWELL, Mich. -- John McCain, Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee are looking for votes here in the midst of what the state Republican Party chairman calls a "single-state recession."

"There's a concentration on the economy and jobs here," Chairman Saul Anuzis said. "We're feeling the pain probably more than most."

As the Michigan primary approaches Tuesday, McCain, Romney and Huckabee are taking different approaches to a state with the nation's highest unemployment. McCain, coming off last week's win in New Hampshire, told state voters that many of those lost jobs aren't coming back because of the global economy. The Arizona senator emphasized retraining displaced workers.

McCain said retraining programs in Michigan can help the nation address global warming and dependence on foreign oil, through research on such items as hydrogen- or battery-run cars.

"Michigan can lead the nation and the world again," he said after a town hall meeting in Howell. "We've got the technology here. We've got the academic base. We've got the ability to bring green technologies to the world."

McCain looks to repeat his win in the Michigan primary in 2000, using largely the same strategy — attracting Democrats who can cross over and vote in the GOP race.

Romney, who finished second in New Hampshire and Iowa, called McCain's assessment of permanent job loss too "pessimistic."

Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, appeared over the weekend at a General Motors plant where 200 people have been laid off. He pledged to help the auto industry through increases in research into more fuel-efficient vehicles. He questioned government-imposed restrictions on fuel standards and carbon emissions.

"The burdens on American manufacturing are largely imposed by government, and new leadership in Washington can lift those burdens and lift the industry," Romney says in prepared remarks for a speech to be made Monday in Detroit.

Tuesday's election is important for Romney, given his family's name recognition in the state. His father, George, served as Michigan's governor for six years. The multimillionaire business executive told CBS' Face the Nation on Sunday that he will stay in the race no matter what happens Tuesday.