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Steve Mitchell

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                                                                                                                                     Paul Welday

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Date: January 12, 2008

Romney Cuts McCain Lead to 1%

Huckabee Distant Third

Michigan’s January 15, 2008 Primary Will Be Third in Nation

LANSING, Mich. — Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has cut the lead of U.S. Sen. John McCain to just one point in a tracking poll done Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.  McCain now leads 22% to 21% with Mike Huckabee at 12% and Rudy Giuliani and Ron Paul at 7%, Fred Thompson 3%, and Duncan Hunter 1%, among likely voters in the Michigan Republican Presidential Primary Election according to a telephone poll conducted by Mitchell Interactive.  Eight percent say they will vote “uncommitted” while 18% are undecided.      

       Mitchell Interactive is an East Lansing, Michigan and Washington, DC based national political polling

and market research company.  The survey of 520 likely Republican Presidential Primary voters was conducted by telephone Wednesday night, Thursday night and Saturday afternoon January 9, 10 and 12, 2008. The survey has a margin of error of +-4.3% at the 95% level of confidence.

        “The big reason for the Romney movement is the greater interest by Republicans in their own Primary and a movement of undecided voters to Romney.  The undecided vote has dropped from 23% to 18% and the percentage of voters who identify themselves as Republican has increased from 54% to 62%,” Steve Mitchell, president of Mitchell Interactive said. 

Page 2 of 3 Mitchell Interactive Poll Results Republican Primary Voters 1/12/2008

           “Momentum has clearly shifted to Romney between our Wednesday and Thursday night polling.  If this trend continues, he will be ahead when we drop off totals from Wednesday night and add the totals from our polling tomorrow (Sunday) night,” Mitchell said. 

            Steve Mitchell has been the most accurate pollster in Michigan in the last four presidential campaigns.  Polling for the Detroit News in the 2000 MI GOP Primary, his final polling correctly had John McCain winning over George W. Bush.  Polling again for the Detroit News in the 2004 MI Dem Primary, his final polling correctly showed the top
four candidates in the order they finished and had John Kerry at 52%, his final margin.

In the 2000 General Election, his final poll had Gore leading by 5% in Michigan, he won by 5%.  In the 2004 General Election, his final polling had Kerry leading by 2% in Michigan, he won by 3%.  In his final national poll for WDIV-TV in Detroit, he had Bush winning by 4%, he won by 3%. 

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