Michigan voters will head to the polls on Tuesday, Feb. 28, casting their ballots in the state’s Republican primary on the same day as Arizona voters decide their winner. 

U.S. Republican presidential candidates (L to R) U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich stand for the National Anthem before the start of the Republican presidential debate in Mesa, Arizona, February 22, 2012. REUTERS/Laura Segall

The two primaries are considered important stops on the road to the Republican nomination, especially in Michigan where 30 delegates are up for grabs four days ahead of the Washington State Caucus and a week before ‘Super Tuesday,’ which includes a blitz of caucuses in Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Massachusetts, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia as well as the beginning of the Wyoming caucus. 

Currently, the delegate count has Detroit-born Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor and businessman who’s also the son of former governor George Romney, leading the field with an unofficial count of 123 delegates in the complex system according to the Associated Press. Rick Santorum, a former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania, has made a surprise run, counting 72 delegates, while former U.S. Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich has 32 and Texas Congressman Ron Paul has 19.  Paul supporters dispute those numbers, however, saying that he is actually in second, and reports of the numbers vary. The total number of delegates needed for the nomination is 1,144, and the Michigan primary will cost taxpayers a total of $10 million according to MyFoxDetroit.com. With Michigan considered one of the key states left among primaries and caucuses, candidates have been busy reaching out to potential voters for support. 

Romney, presumed to be the favorite according to national polls, has hit the campaign trail across the state and plans to visit Lansing on Saturday; he and has also visited Milford and Farmington Hills among other cities. 

Paul, the libertarian-leaning candidate who has  fared well in several national polls despite not winning a caucus or primary yet, plans visits to Hudsonville and Mount Pleasant this weekend as well as to Michigan State University on Monday at 4 p.m. followed by a visit to the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center in Dearborn at 6:30 the same night, in an event titled ‘Doctors for Dr. Ron Paul.’ 

Santorum began this past week with a stop in Muskegon on the state’s west side and has continued to tour the area, which has a strong evangelical Christian base that meshes well with his platforms and values he has highlighted in his campaign. 

Gingrich has reportedly dropped plans to campaign in Michigan and will now focus on Super Tuesday states, planning one last push for the nomination. 

Lesser-known candidate Fred Karger also stopped in Michigan in Battle Creek and Lansing. 

Thus far, Romney has managed to score key endorsements from publications and state leaders including from the Detroit News,  Detroit Free Press, Grand Rapids Press, and Oakland Press along with Governor Rick Snyder, Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley, and Attorney General Bill Schuette. 

“I am honored to have such overwhelming support from leaders across Michigan,” said Romney on his official website. “Michigan has been home to me. I remember when Michigan was the envy of the nation – I look forward to working with these leaders to bring jobs back and restore Michigan’s economy.”

Despite Romney’s success in the endorsement department and his home-state advertising blitz, Santorum has been faring well in early polls, casting a shadow of concern over many Romney supporters who always believed the Great Lakes State native had the inside track to winning here. 

A poll conducted for the Detroit Free Press and WXYZ-TV of 400 likely Republican voters between Saturday and Tuesday by EPIC-MRA had Santorum as the front-runner with 37% of the vote, while Romney was next with 34%, Paul third with 10%, and Gingrich fourth with 7%. A total of 12% also were undecided or unsure according to the results, with 1% saying they would vote for someone else. 

In the 2008 primaries, Romney won Michigan, beating out the Republican nominee for that year, John McCain, while Paul, a relative unknown at that point, finished fourth with 6% before gaining momentum leading up to the 2012 election. 

Among those who identified themselves as Democrats, Santorum polled high at 25% with Paul next at 24% and Romney at 22%. 

According tot he poll, two-thirds of those who are making their decision based on who has the best chance to defeat President Barack Obama said they are choosing Romney, while three-fourths of those who made their choice based on who represents their values best picked Santorum. 

Another poll conducted by Foster, McCollum, White and Associates along with Baydoun Consulting of Dearborn included 2,098 respondents and found that Santorum had the most support, at 37.37% to 33.75%. A total of 13.97% of respondents were undecided with 8.01% choosing Paul and 6.91% choosing Gingrich. The margin of error was listed at 2.14% for the poll. 

Those who are registered for the Michigan primary need not be registered as Republicans in order to cast their ballot on Feb. 28. Prior to entering the voting booth, voters must choose either a Republican or Democratic ballot to fill out. The Democratic ballot features Obama as the only available candidate along with an ‘uncommitted’ slot, and the party is expected Obama’s selection official at caucuses on May 5. 

The Republican ballot features some candidates who have dropped out including Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Jon Huntsman, and Rick Perry, along with Newt Gingrich,  Gary Johnson, Fred Karger, Ron Paul,  Buddy Roemer, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.