I was working in New York yesterday, so I was unable to post anything. Time to do some catching up.

After analyzing the results of the Michigan primary, a few thoughts. Mitt Romney continues to do better among Republicans than Independents, while McCain does much better with Independents than Republicans. This was true in New Hampshire and in Michigan. Jay Cost examines that factor, as well as some of the other demographic information coming out of the Michigan results. But, in the end, I have to agree with Byron York's assessment in the National Review. Romney won primarily because he appealed to the major concern of Michigan voters, which is the economy, and he made the case that if Michigan voters wanted to gain an ally in Washington, they needed to vote for him. Therefore, it's too early to conclude that Romney will be able to beat McCain wherever a primary or caucus is closed to Independents, or that Romney will gain enough momentum to start moving into position as the front runner. The latest polls from South Carolina are not yet showing much of a bounce for Romney and, in fact, show McCain taking a solid lead over Huckabee, with Romney and Thompson vying for third place. The latest Florida polls also show McCain taking the lead, in this case over Giuliani. There is now a high degree of dissatisfaction among Giuliani supporters, if this story is to be believed, based on the former New York Mayor's poor showing in the early primary states and his precipitous drop in the national polls and, most recently, in the Florida polls, where he has campaigned heavily.

The bottom line for the GOP race at this moment? It still looks like a three man race, with McCain as a front runner (narrowly) over Romney and Huckabee. Thompson's last stand is in South Carolina (where I believe he will be eliminated), and Giuliani's last stand is in Florida (where I believe he will be eliminated). On Super Tuesday, I expect mixed results, but McCain will come out in the lead.

On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton cannot be pleased with the Michigan results, which show more evidence of an erosion of African-American support. The exit poll information shows that 68% of African-Americans voted "Uncommitted", a clear indicator of support for Obama and a rejection of Clinton. Obama is leading in the South Carolina polls and I, for one, don't think the pollsters will get that one wrong, as they did here in New Hampshire. Clinton continues to lead in Florida, though, which is a good sign for her, as that will be the story going into Super Tuesday. It still seems as if the Democrats will be faced with a neck-and-neck race for some time to come.