Two weeks ago, it looked like a key swing state. But the GOP candidates' rhetoric has driven it right into the Democratic column.

Ten days ago, Michigan was a major battleground state for the general election, Mitt Romney was looking to reconnect with the middle class in his home state, and Rick Santorum was gaining momentum after three big wins and looking at maybe becoming the first Catholic nominated by the Republican Party. The Obama campaign was so concerned about Michigan being in play for the fall that it brought President Obama there to give a major speech and made plans to spend valuable ad dollars in the state.

But that was then.

Now, after the Romney and Santorum campaigns, Michigan is likely to be off the fall map of battleground states. It looks again reliably Democratic -- not because of anything the Obama team has done, but because of the nature of the contest between Romney and Santorum, which has alienated many independent voters and created a tremendous divide. This isn't a good sign as the Republican nomination contest moves into other battleground states like Ohio next week.

The imperative of the Romney campaign for the last few weeks was supposed to be healing the class divide and the disconnect between their wealthy candidate and middle- and working-class voters, especially in the industrial Midwest. In the last few days, Romney has talked about owning multiple Cadillacs to be able to drive to his multiple houses, and the fact that he has a lot of racetrack friendships -- not with NASCAR fans but with NASCAR team owners. Going into the Michigan primary on Tuesday, Romney is perceived more than ever as out of touch, living a life alien to middle-class voters.