Republican rivals Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney are battling it out for Michigan and standing by their opposition to a government bailout that saved Detroit's auto industry from collapse. Romney – who was born here and whose father served as governor of the state – was long thought to be the favorite here, but Santorum has surged ahead in recent weeks following a sweep of three state contests earlier this month. But in the key battleground of Michigan, the eventual nominee will have to stand by his opposition to President Barack Obama's $80 billion bailout of GM and Chrysler, saving the Detroit-based manufacturers from bankruptcy. GM's full-year profit soared by 62 percent in 2011 to reach $7.6 billion, beating expectations and breaking records for the 103-year-old maker of cars and trucks with a portfolio of brands including Chevrolet and Cadillac. But Santorum, a Christian conservative ex-senator with working class roots, argued that bailouts – whether in banking or manufacturing – create an environment in which taxpayers pick up the tab for companies' bad choices. “My feeling was that the government should not be involved in bailouts, period,” Santorum told the Detroit Economic Club, a business forum. Romney has also stuck to his pro-business message, welcoming the recovery of the auto industry but criticizing the government intervention as “crony capitalism” and blaming labor unions for the industry's past failures.
