The Michigan primary will test one of the most common — but as yet
unproven — assumptions in the Republican presidential race: the
expectation that Rick Santorum will be a strong candidate for
blue-collar voters.
From the moment Santorum emerged as a serious contender in Iowa, many
analysts (present company included) have assumed he would run well among
the growing ranks of non-college white voters in the Republican
electorate. On a policy level, Santorum stresses his determination to
rebuild the nation’s manufacturing capacity and laments the decline of
upward mobility for working-class Americans in language rare among
Republicans. On a personal level, Santorum highlights his years growing
up in Western Pennsylvania steel country, and his grandfather’s
experience as a miner; he also projects a regular-guy aura that
contrasts with rival Mitt Romney’s vast wealth.
