GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Standing in a chilly furniture warehouse in front of about 100 cheering supporters, GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Monday he expects to win today's primary here.

"We're going to to do it today," Romney said at the headquarters for Compatico, an office furniture manufacturer. "I think Michigan is going to vote for a Romney again. I'm planning on it."

Romney's father was governor of Michigan, and he's counting on those ties, as well as his own background as a successful businessman, to give him his first major victory in the presidential race. Romney lost Iowa to former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and New Hampshire to Arizona Sen. John McCain.

Although Romney has edged up in recent polls, the race between him and McCain is seen as too close to call. Huckabee, a Southern Baptist minister, is third.

Just before the rally began, Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., told reporters that he was confident Romney would win today's GOP presidential primary here, thanks to his new focus on the economy.

But while that's helping Romney here, his Mormon faith hurt him in Iowa, Hoekstra said.

"He's primed to talk about economic issues much better than any of the other candidates," Hoekstra said. "He ran a very good campaign in Iowa. Maybe he got his sea legs, and so maybe that's working better for him here when he comes home."

In Iowa, the congressman accused Huckabee of attacking Romney's religion.

"The whole attacks, and trying to create divisions based on religion lines and class warfare. ... We never played to the religious issue. I think Huckabee is continuing to play the religious card, but I don't think it's going to have the same kind of impact here in Michigan that it had in Iowa. And I think we're now responding to it more effectively. I don't think we ever kind of expected the religious card to be played as strong, as forcefully and as negatively as what it was."

---

E-mail: lisa@desnews.com