Michigan GOP likely to opt for a primary

While the Michigan Democratic Party announced this week that it would hold a caucus rather than a primary to select delegates for the Democratic National Convention in 2012, but the state GOP is apparently leaning toward holding a traditional primary.

The MDP has publicly called on the Republicans to hold a caucus rather than a primary because it will save the state millions of dollars, and the Detroit News reports that there are many in the state GOP who prefer a caucus as well.

Many Republicans from the party’s conservative tea party wing, who support candidates such as Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota or Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, prefer a caucus — based on party meetings at the precinct level — to determine the presidential delegates and believe a primary favors frontrunner Mitt Romney, who appeals to a broader political spectrum.

But the party is likely to go with a primary instead because of the advantages it may provide them over the Democrats:

But the prospect of holding a handful of recall elections for GOP and Democratic state lawmakers at the same time as a presidential primary expected to draw far more Republicans than Democrats is a recent development that’s making the primary more attractive.

“That works against the Democrats by a four-to-one margin,” said attorney Stu Sandler, a state party consultant who recently stepped down as interim executive director and is organizing recall efforts against more than a dozen Democratic lawmakers.

Of course, one reason the Democrats can go with a caucus instead of a primary is because President Obama is the incumbent and there will likely be no serious Democratic challengers. That makes any primary fairly pointless.