BERRIEN COUNTY — Candidates for president are criss-crossing the state of Michigan ahead of the primaries on Tuesday. The stakes are especially high for Republican candidates.

One of those candidates, Mitt Romney, is visiting our area Saturday. He plans to be at the Lincoln Senior Center on 3271 Lincoln Avenue in St. Joseph, Mich. between 6 and 9 p.m. A $15 donation is required to get into the a fundraiser for the Berrien County Republican Party, but that doesn’t mean the party is endorsing a candidate.

“We are very, very pleased to host Mitt Romney,” said Gary Campbell, Chairman of the Berrien County Republican Party. “We would have, had we had enough planning time, we would have been happy to host all of them.”

Polls show the two leading candidates in Michigan are Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.

Romney's touted his Michigan roots and his plans to improve the state's economy. His father, George Romney, was a popular governor.

“He's really making this a high priority,” said Sean Savage, a political science professor at St. Mary’s College. “Unfortunately for Romney, McCain is doing better in the polls and also McCain seems to have more appeal among independents and Democrats who are allowed to vote in the Republican primary.”

Congressman Fred Upton has endorsed Sen. McCain, as has Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter. He's the volunteer campaign chairman in Indiana, but he plans to campaign for McCain in Michigan on Sunday and Monday.

“He's going to be in Michigan, in our state next door, so I thought it was a good opportunity to spend a little time with him,” Carter said. “He's been in Indiana before, we've been with him there, but the next couple of days are critical, so we're looking forward to being with him.”

Democrats say their primary is still important, even through the national party has stripped the state of its delegates.

“If they're not on the ballot, we're willing to go to the polls and vote uncommitted and work our way through the delegate process going into the convention, to show that we will be there, we will vote, and we feel our votes should be counted,” said Jess Minks, Chairman of the South County Democratic Club in Buchanan.

Hillary Clinton, Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel are on the Democratic ballot, but Barack Obama and John Edwards are not. If you want to vote for Obama or Edwards and you want that vote to count, you have to vote uncommitted. If you write in their names, your vote won't count.

Analysts expect the Democratic Party will eventually allow Michigan's delegates to count. The Republican Party has stripped Michigan of half of its delegates, but analysts also expect the full slate of delegates.

For more information on the Michigan primary, go to WSBT.com's Campaign '08 section.