I tend that someone at the DNC *cough*Howard Dean*cough* got this organized so that it was a win situation to stay in.

This also means that Chris Dodd and Hillary Clinton will be the only ones on the ballot, and I would expect Dodd to break 25%, just on the number of folks who don’t want to pull the lever for Clinton in the primary.

Hillary is now in a bad position. If she ignores Michigan, Dodd might score a “stunner”, and if she devotes resources there, it’s going to diffuse her efforts elsewhere.

Let’s also say that not being on the ballot in Michigan is the right thing to do. The folks in the Michigan state house just got owned.

Kucinich withdraws from Michigan Democratic primary ballot

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Tuesday, October 9, 2007

DOVER, NH – The Kucinich for President campaign announced this afternoon that it has filed an affidavit with the Michigan Secretary of State’s office officially requesting that the name of Ohio Congressman and Democratic Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich be withdrawn from the Michigan Democratic primary ballot.

The sworn statement requesting withdrawal was submitted via fax by Kucinich National Campaign Manager Mike Klein shortly before today’s 4 p.m. deadline.

At the same time, the Kucinich campaign issued the following statement on behalf of the candidate, who is campaigning in Arizona today:

“We signed a public pledge recently, promising to stand with New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina, and the DNC-approved ‘early window’, and the action we are taking today protects New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary status, and Nevada’s early caucus.”

The statement continued: “We support the grassroots nature of the New Hampshire, small-state primary, and we support the diversity efforts that Chairman Dean and the DNC instituted last year, when they added Nevada and South Carolina to the window in January 2008. We are obviously committed to New Hampshire’s historic role.”

Klein, who recently moved to Dover, NH to run the national Kucinich campaign, added, “We will continue to adhere to the DNC-approved primary schedule.”