"We're very comfortable with where we're positioned as long as we're very competitive in Michigan Tuesday, which we expect to be," said Katie Packer, a Romney consultant in Michigan. "That means in the top two, tight."

Various Michigan polls taken over the past month have either Romney, McCain or Huckabee in the lead, and a RealClearPolitics.com average of the major surveys gives Romney a 0.8 percent lead.

Michigan was supposed to be a shoo-in for Romney, a native of the economically troubled state. His father, American Motors Corp. president George Romney, served as a popular three-term governor of Michigan in the 1960s.

But Romney's early support there "was to some degree soft because the other candidates weren't in any position to gain traction," said Vincent Hutchings, a political science professor at the University of Michigan.

McCain had been written off because of financial turmoil within his campaign months ago that led to drastic cutbacks. And until late last year, Huckabee was seen as having little, if any chance, of gaining support from voters despite his conservative Christian credentials.

All that has changed, of course. And it's unclear how much Romney, who for years has called Massachusetts home and served as that state's governor following the Olympics, can count on his father's legacy in Michigan to translate into votes.

"There's a lot of people in the electorate who were born long after (George) Romney served," Hutchings said. "It will provide him with some boost, but I don't think it's going to be a deal-breaker."

Packer agreed. "The George Romney name is enough to get you invited in. It may not be enough to get you invited to stay for dinner," she said. "I don't think anybody votes for somebody based on who their family member is."

Hutchings described Michigan Republicans as fiscally conservative but socially moderate. That could give McCain an edge, since he is portraying himself as a political maverick, an image the professor said "plays pretty well out here."

Romney, a successful venture capitalist, is focusing on the biggest single issue in Michigan, the lackluster economy. "The economy's been sluggish for years," Hutchings said. "Romney, to his credit, is taking that on."

Huckabee has tried to counter Romney's efforts in Michigan by repeating the same line he used on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno just before winning Iowa, that Americans want a president who "reminds them of the guy they work with, not the guy who laid them off."

Packer said Romney spent the first 20 years of his life in Michigan and is "still a good Midwestern body at heart. I think that comes across." She said Michigan voters appreciate his knowledge of the automobile industry.