Michigan polls end in tight vote

John McCain hopes to repeat his 2000 primary win in Michigan

Polls have closed in the US state of Michigan, in a presidential primary election that may prove pivotal in the battle among Republican candidates.

Senator John McCain hopes to translate an opinion poll surge into a victory to add to his New Hampshire win last week.

But as votes are counted, Mitt Romney, who was raised locally, will hope for a boost to his White House campaign.

Michigan does not figure in the race for the Democratic nomination because of a party dispute over scheduling.

The Democrats are instead focusing their energies on their next contest in Nevada, and are set to hold a televised debate in Las Vegas on Tuesday evening.

Michigan voters on the issues that concern them and who they back in the White House race In pictures

Final polls in Michigan closed at 2100 local time (0200 GMT on Wednesday), an hour after most polls in the state. Early results were expected soon afterwards.

Few people thought Michigan would matter, BBC North America editor Justin Webb reports.

But the wild ride of the 2008 primary season has brought the main Republican candidates to this depressed car manufacturing state in a desperate effort to give their campaigns some momentum, he says.

Analysts predict that about 20% of eligible voters will have turned out at the ballot box.

The BBC's Jamie Coomarasamy in Michigan says there has been little of the sense of excitement that characterised the primaries in Iowa and New Hampshire.

This seems partly to be down to the bitter cold and snowy weather, he says, and partly because the result of the Democratic vote will count for nothing.

Some Democratic voters say they are choosing to vote in the Republican primary for Mr McCain, our correspondent adds, in order to feel their voice may make a difference.

Early exit polls conducted for the Associated Press and US TV networks suggest that independent voters may play less of a role in this vote than they did in 2000, however, when they helped Mr McCain win the state over then-candidate George W Bush.

Governor's son

Mr McCain has risen up the national polls, including those that pit him against likely Democratic nominees.

KEY DATES FOR CANDIDATES 15 Jan: Michigan primary 19 Jan: Nevada caucuses; South Carolina primary (Rep) 26 Jan: South Carolina primary (Dem) 29 Jan: Florida primary 5 Feb: some 20 states including California, New York, New Jersey Q&A: Michigan primary Michigan state profile

Despite his victory in New Hampshire, Mr McCain needs more primary wins to be close to securing the Republican nomination for November's presidential election, and a victory in Michigan would be a necessary boost.

He won Michigan in his 2000 presidential bid, but opinion polls suggest the 2008 race in the state is too close to call.

Speaking at a polling station in Traverse City early on Tuesday, Mr McCain said: "We're confident because of the enthusiasm at the town hall meetings and the rallies but we've got a long way to go."

Voter Casey Greggs, from Lansing, told the BBC he had decided to back Mr McCain.

"Normally I favour the Democrats a little bit more but I favour him this time," he said. "I am a Vietnam vet and so is he, and I have a son in the Marines now, so it means a lot to me to have somebody up there who understands the military."

Meanwhile, Mr Romney told supporters at a rally in Grand Rapids that he believed Michigan was ready to "vote for a Romney again".

"This is the day that's going to change, I believe, the politics of our nation," he said.

Mr Romney failed to win both in New Hampshire and in Iowa, despite heavy spending and good organisation.

But he may benefit from his strong local connections in Michigan - his father George was governor in the 1960s, and his wife was also born in the state.

Jobs fears

Analysts say the car-making state's fragile economy is the main issue for Michigan.

It has been hard hit by a downturn in the automobile industry, and now has the highest unemployment rate in the US at 7.4%.

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Both Mr McCain and Mr Romney have spoken of the need to revive Michigan's economy, although they have outlined different strategies.

Third in the polls is former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, who won the Iowa caucus less than a fortnight ago.

He has said he is the only Republican candidate who understands the struggles of working-class people in Michigan.

Other big names, like former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson, have not focused on Michigan, campaigning instead in states that hold their elections later.

Showdown

The Democratic Party denied Michigan the right to send delegates to its convention - when the party's presidential candidate will be chosen - because the state party chose to hold its primary early.

Mitt Romney says he has the skills to revive Michigan's economy

Hillary Clinton's name remains on the state's Democratic ballot-paper but Barack Obama and John Edwards have removed theirs.

Most of the party's hopefuls are, instead, focusing their energies on the caucuses in Nevada on Saturday and South Carolina's primary on 26 January.

Tuesday's debate will be the first showdown between Mrs Clinton and Mr Obama since her campaign gained momentum with her surprise win in New Hampshire last week.

Recent opinion polls have shown Mr Edwards only narrowly trailing the two frontrunners in Nevada.

The debate also comes after Mrs Clinton and Mr Obama moved to tone down a controversy that sparked sharp exchanges between them regarding race and the legacy of the civil rights movement.