Major polls show Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum leading the contest in Michigan, the home state of current frontrunner Mitt Romney.

The MRG Michigan Poll shows former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum leading with 43 percent, followed by Romney, formerly the governor of Massachusetts, who has 33 percent of the prospective vote.

The New York Times poll shows similar results and gives Santorum a 72 percent chance of winning the state.

Romney easily won Michigan in the 2008 campaign but failed to win the Republican nomination.

A possible reason for Romney’s slump could be his criticism of the auto industry bailouts, which helped to secure jobs for many factory workers in Michigan.

In November 2008, Romney published an opinion article in the New York Times under the headline “Let Detroit Go Bankrupt.” Rather than bailouts, Romney called for managed bankruptcy, which he wrote “would permit the companies to shed excess labor, pension and real estate costs…In managed bankruptcy, the federal government would propel newly competitive and viable automakers, rather than seal their fate with a bailout check.”

Though four years have passed since Romney wrote the article, it remains a sensitive subject among Michigan voters.

Pundits say Santorum’s surge in the polls likely comes from “anyone-but-Romney” voters and defected Newt Gingrich supporters. Santorum is also garnering more support from Tea Party voters thanks to his frequent references to the Constitution.

The Michigan primary is Feb. 28. Arizona votes on the same day. After that, the next stop is March 6 in Ohio.