South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint offered some sober words about his horse in the Republican presidential race, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney — he must win Michigan.
 
“I don’t think he can afford a second place in Michigan,” DeMint told Reuters ahead of the Republican debate in South Carolina.
 
Michgan Republicans vote on Tuesday, followed on Jan. 19 by the South Carolina Republican primary.
 
“I don’t think he’s necessarily washed up, but it will not be good coming into South Carolina having not won one of those,” he said. “We need to win Michigan and that’s why we’ve shifted some TV resources there for a few days.”
 
He argued that while the campaign pulled the television ads for now in South Carolina, they would continue making calls.
 
Polls have showed Romney, who grew up in Michigan and his father served as the state’s governor, that he is in a tight race with Arizona Sen. John McCain who gained some momentum from his New Hampshire primary win as well as former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee who won Iowa.
 
DeMint stressed that internal polls for Romney in Michigan were “looking pretty good” and he was within striking distance in South Carolina.
 
“If one of those three wins South Carolina and goes into Florida with a little momentum, there’s a chance there they could beat (former New York Mayor Rudy) Giuliani and go head into Super Tuesday with a kind of consensus candidate,” DeMint said.
 
On Feb. 5, 22 states vote in a “Super Tuesday” of contests. 

Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage. 

– Photo credit: Reuters/Rebecca Cook (Romney campaigning in Michigan on Wednesday, after coming in second in New Hampshire.)