The issue is more than just parochial; it has the potential to turnthe election. Michigan is widely considered one of a half-dozen orso states that could decide the race between Obama and Sen. JohnMcCain.

The major TV networks, the Associated Press and a host of punditsrate Michigan's 17 electoral votes as up for grabs. A pollconducted by Lansing's EPIC-MRA research firm and providedexclusively to The Detroit News, WXYZ-Action News and threeoutstate stations and published today, shows Obama with a slim,two-point lead in Michigan, well within the survey's error margin.

And how the candidates address the woes of the auto industry andmanufacturers generally is seen on both sides as crucial to winningthe state.

"Obama has really taken the time to dig in and understand theissues and to talk about them," said Debbie Dingell, a GeneralMotors employee and the wife of Rep. John Dingell, D-Dearborn, oneof the Big Three's biggest allies in Congress.

Dingell points to Obama's speech on energy policy this month inLansing, an address packed with promises of aid to automakers.

"That speech really reflected what the industry needs," she said.

Auto issues at forefront

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