SALT LAKE CITY — Regardless of which GOP candidate wins tonight's Michigan primary, Obama campaigners are optimistic over their prospects in that state in the November general election.

Politico reports Democrats feared Michigan was "slipping away" due to high unemployment and a strong tea party showing in 2010. But now they feel confident again because of Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum's focus on personal attacks and social issues like contraception, abortion, and separation of church and state.

Democratic consultant Jill Alper told Politico Republicans are "pushed so far to the right, I think that they leave behind some radioactivity."

And State Democratic chairman Mark Brewer said, "I think they've really harmed themselves."

Meanwhile, they say President Obama has stayed on message with something strategists on both sides know resonates with voters in Michigan: succeeding in the future economy.

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Mitt Romney says he's struggling with the Republican Party's right wing in Michigan because he's unwilling to make "incendiary" comments.

"We're not just talking about a four-year degree," he said recently. "We're talking about somebody going to a community college and getting trained for that manufacturing job that now is requiring somebody walking through the door handling a million-dollar piece of equipment."

Democrats may feel good about the way things are trending in a state they haven't lost in the general election since 1988, but they say they're determined not to become complacent. Obama campaigners have organized a dozen house parties tonight to cap what they've been calling a "Day of Action." They're also running a positive ad touting Obama's support for the auto bailout.

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