Romney battles Perry in Mich. straw poll

ST. IGNACE, Mich. - Returning to the state where he grew up, Mitt Romney picked up a key to this city Saturday, en route to what he hopes will be a chance to pick up a vote of confidence from Michigan Republican activists.

Visiting a diner packed with a friendly crowd of about 40 onlookers, including local mayor Paul Grondin, the Republican presidential hopeful reminisced about courting his wife, Ann, while his father, George Romney, was Michigan's governor. Recalling a date they had in the governor's mansion, Romney said: "It was a real thrill for a 16-year-old."

His wife, standing nearby, quickly interjected: "Separate bedrooms." Her interruption - and visible blush - had the crowd cheering and laughing.

The stop served to underscore one of the advantages Romney has in this battleground state. Though he went on to make his career elsewhere, serving as the governor of Massachusetts, the Romney name still resonates in Michigan. Some locals here brought up the bridge that Romney's father built in the community when he was governor. And Romney, who grew up in a suburb of Detroit, wasn't shy about playing up his roots: "It feels good to be home," he said.

Nonetheless, Romney faces competition for the votes that Michigan GOP activists gathered at the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference will be casting in a straw poll this weekend. Romney will speak to the delegates in the evening, hours after his chief rival for the GOP nomination, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, makes his pitch.

Romney told reporters here he welcomes the competition ¬ and suggested it might be good for the state's struggling economy.

"We want them all to come in here make it a real contest," he said. "Have a lot people come in and spend some money in Michigan."