In the brilliant sunshine of Arizona, Rick Santorum aggressively challenged Mitt Romney in a state where the Tea Party is strong and the politics of immigration are poised to take center stage at a debate on Wednesday night. 
Ken Elzerman removed signs for Rick Santorum before Santorum's opponent, Mitt Romney, spoke at a factory in Shelby, Mich., on Tuesday. When: Wednesday at 8 p.m. Eastern time
Where: Mesa Arts Center in Arizona
Participants: Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum
Sponsors: CNN and the Republican Party of Arizona
TV: CNN
Live blogging and analysis: nytimes.com/politics
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Dennis Lennox carried Mitt Romney signs before a Romney appearance at a factory in Shelby, Mich., on Tuesday. And in the gritty cold of Michigan, the advertising air war intensified, as Mr. Romney increasingly faced questions about his conservative credentials from voters in his home state, a place of grim economic news and plenty of cultural conservatives. Together, the two states — separated by about 1,700 miles — are the immediate battlegrounds for a Republican presidential contest that appears to be tightening drastically in the week before voters go to the polls to award the biggest single-day cache of delegates since the race began. Mr. Santorum held two events in Arizona on Tuesday as he sought to seize on anecdotal and polling evidence that Mr. Romney’s large lead in the state may be quickly evaporating. Speaking to about 500 people at the Maricopa County Lincoln Day luncheon, Mr. Santorum tipped his hat to the Tea Party movement, many of whose members had packed into the large Shriners’ hall to hear him speak. “We need to take everything from food stamps to Medicaid to housing programs to education training programs,” he said. “We need to cut ’em, cap ’em, freeze ’em, send ’em to the states and say that there has to be a time limit and a work requirement,” he said, the rest of his words drowned out by thunderous applause. Mr. Santorum is scheduled to address Tea Party activists near Tucson on Wednesday. Gov. Jan Brewer of Arizona, who plans to make an endorsement in the race after the debate, said in an interview that Mr. Santorum was eroding Mr. Romney’s advantage because “he comes across as straightforward, honest and solid.” She said she believes that Mr. Romney is conservative, but that many voters do not. Mr. Romney has been building an organization in Arizona for months, aided by an endorsement from Senator John McCain, the state’s senior Republican. But on the eve of the nationally televised debate, one of Mr. Romney’s top supporters in the state expressed concern about his chances of winning. Randy Pullen, a former chairman of the Arizona Republican Party who endorsed Mr. Romney last year, said Tuesday that he was no longer certain that Mr. Romney would win the state’s primary. He said he believed Mr. Romney’s 20-point lead had evaporated, declaring, “Now it’s a dead heat.” Mr. Pullen said Mr. Romney’s campaign had been unsuccessful — and, in his view, had not tried hard enough — in its effort to connect with Republican activists willing to unite around beating President Obama. “There has to be some enthusiasm in the race,” Mr. Pullen said in an interview. “Right now there’s not much. I don’t regret my decision, I’m just frustrated. I think he’s honest and straightforward, but the real Romney needs to come out. We need to see the energy, and we need to see the passion we’ve seen from the other candidates.” In Michigan, Mr. Romney held a town-hall meeting in Shelby to talk about the difficult economy in the state and his plans to help turn around the nation’s fiscal situation. Mr. Romney hinted Tuesday that he would soon unveil a new tax plan that would feature “a flatter, fairer, broader-based tax system.” But voters at the town hall peppered him with questions about social issues instead, forcing him off message. It was a vivid reminder of how much the Republican primaries next week may turn on terrain that has repeatedly frustrated Mr. Romney’s political ambitions this year: questions about his commitment to the conservative cause. “I want to hear you say it,” said Feleiteau Epley, 58, to Mr. Romney at the Shelby Town Hall. “That you are 100 percent pro-life. No abortions.” Mr. Romney did not oblige. Instead, he described himself as “pro-life” — making room for exceptions in the case of incest, rape and when the life of the mother is at stake — a position that left Ms. Epley, who is considering voting for Mr. Santorum, unsatisfied. The latest Michigan polls generally show a tight race between the two candidates after a surge in support for Mr. Santorum. A Detroit News survey last week showed the race effectively tied. Michael D. Shear reported from Washington, and Jeff Zeleny from Phoenix. Reporting was contributed by Michael Barbaro from Shelby, Mich., Katharine Q. Seelye from Phoenix, and Dalia Sussman and Allison Kopicki from New York.
