Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney is a player once more in the wide-open 2008 White House race after snapping up a decisive primary victory in his native state of Michigan.
It is a vital shot in the arm for his campaign, which had flopped since the presidential nominating race began two weeks ago in Iowa, even though he had led the opinion polls before the voting began in earnest.
So it was Michigan or bust for Romney, who was born there and whose father governed there in the 1960s.
"Tonight marks the beginning of a comeback, a comeback for America," he told cheering supporters in Michigan, in yet another dramatic twist in the roller-coaster White House race.
"Only a week ago a win looked like it was impossible, but then you got out and told America what they needed to hear. Tonight is a victory of optimism over Washington-style pessimism," the multimillionaire businessman told cheering supporters.
Romney beat his nearest rival, Senator John McCain, by between 30 and 39 percent.
Romney appeals to many on the conservative Republican side for his emphasis on the importance of the family and his outspoken criticism of gay marriage.
He is also seen as anti-abortion, pro-capital punishment and tough on immigration, all issues dear to the hearts of loyal Republicans.
But he faces an uphill battle to overcome deep suspicion of his Mormon faith, since many in the Christian rightwing consider the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, as it is officially known, heretical.
Early last month, Romney chose to address directly the issue of whether the US is ready to elect its first Mormon president.
"I am an American running for president," the 60-year-old said in the landmark speech directed at the Republican party's powerful evangelical bloc.
"I do not define my candidacy by my religion. A person should not be elected because of his faith, nor should he be rejected because of his faith," Romney said.
The speech drew comparisons with the address given by John F. Kennedy on his Roman Catholic faith during his successful 1960 bid for the presidency.
Romney pledged the secretive leadership of the Mormon Church, founded in 1830 by an American pioneer, Joseph Smith, would not hold any sway over his administration if he were elected.
Romney, who has been married to his wife Ann for more than 37 years, has poured millions of his own money into his campaign, but was trounced in Iowa by former Baptist preacher Mike Huckabee and then drubbed by former Vietnam veteran John McCain in New Hampshire.
He campaigned on economic issues in a state where the once proud auto industry is reeling from an onslaught of foreign competition, attempting to woo voters with the prospect of a revival.
"I will do everything I can to make sure the heartland of America ... will again resume its rightful place in our economy and in our nation and in the world," he told one rally in the state.
Romney also won in Wyoming, but the other candidates largely ignored the state after its number of delegates to the national convention was slashed to just 14.
Also see: Hillary Clinton says Bush `begging' for oil in Middle East
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