REFILE-Romney, McCain clash over jobs in depressed Michigan

Polls show a close race in Michigan between McCain and Romney, with Huckabee not far behind in third place. Romney argues winning the state is personal because he was born and raised here, and his father once served as governor.

"It's personal because I love this state, it's personal because I recognize that as Michigan goes, so goes the nation," Romney said.

New polls are expected to be released later on Saturday.

Late last year, a poll showed roughly three-quarters of residents listed the economy as their top concern. University of Michigan economists predicted 51,000 more jobs will be wiped out in the state this year in addition to the 400,000 lost since 2000.

Larry Clanton, a 59-year-old Republican voter whose vehicle detailing business recently went under, blamed the downturn on business leaders who failed to diversify the economy beyond its now-struggling auto industry.

"Anything to boost the overall economy would be good," he said. "To some degree, what's good for the nation is good for Michigan. Right now, young people graduating from college cannot find employment and are leaving; we're experiencing a brain drain." (Editing by Stuart Grudgings; Additional reporting by Andy Sullivan, Andrew Stern and Karen Pierog) (For more about the U.S. political campaign, visit Reuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online at blogs.reuters.com/trail08/)