LANSING, MI - When Mitt Romney's bus rolls 165 miles from "Little Bavaria" to the Lake Michigan shoreline Tuesday - with room for pie tasting in-between - he will enter traditionally Republican towns that Barack Obama did well in four years ago.
Two of the three small cities, DeWitt north of Lansing and Holland southwest of Grand Rapids, heavily backed George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004, giving him between 57 and 62 percent of the vote. In 2008, Obama won both over John McCain - taking 51 percent in DeWitt and 53 percent in Holland.
That likely cannot happen again if Romney is to win his native state, a victory he says would give him the presidency.
Only Frankenmuth, his first stop, stayed strongly Republican over the last dozen years.
Romney officials have said showing that he cares about small towns is more important than picking up votes in those areas. But it surely will not hurt to try to shore up rural or non-suburban voters, many of whom supported GOP candidate Rick Santorum in the state's February primary narrowly won by Romney.
The swing through central Michigan caps a five-day tour of six battleground states - all won by Obama in 2008. A Republican presidential candidate has not won Michigan in 24 years, when George H. W. Bush did it.
Though some polls in the past five weeks have shown Obama with a comfortable lead here, at least two others have him essentially tied with the former Massachusetts governor.
The latest, released last week by Foster McCollum White & Associates and Baydoun Consulting, had Obama garnering support from nearly 47 percent of likely voters and Romney about 45.5 percent.
U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., said last week he expected Michigan to be continue to be a close race.
Ahead of Romney's visit, Democrats have talked up Obama's bailouts of General Motors and Chrysler by highlighting businesses that have benefited. And on Monday, they joined Massachusetts officials in criticizing his record as governor and saying Obama has done and will do more for the middle class.
Romney starts his morning in Frankenmuth, a city of German ancestry known for the Bavarian Inn Lodge, Zehnder's restaurant and Bronner's, the world's largest Christmas store. He will hold a rally at the lodge.
He stops in DeWitt for a brief early afternoon visit to the Sweetie-licious Bakery Cafe, whose owner has won various national pie-making championships.
The last - and final - stop of his multi-state small-town tour is a night rally at Holland State Park.
Though the nearby city of Holland backed Obama four years ago, the host county - Ottawa - is considered to be one of the most Republican in the state. Despite losing by 16 percentage points statewide, McCain picked up 61 percent of the vote in Ottawa County in 2008.
Romney will stay in Michigan on Wednesday for fundraisers.
Email David Eggert at deggert1@mlive.com and follow him on Twitter @DavidEggert00
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