What else do they have in common? They are all strong gun and Second Amendment freedom states.

In a state like South Carolina, opposition from gun owners is the kiss of death in a statewide race.

And some swing states are such because of large urban populations that vote Democrat. Their Republican primaries do not include many of those urban voters; the gun vote is huge.

That is the case with Michigan. Outside of Detroit, Michigan is a solidly red state, dominated by Second Amendment supporters with NRA stickers on their windows.

With these states moving forward and potentially deciding the nomination even before Super Tuesday, we might know who the nominees for both parties are by late January.

The NRA is in a stronger position than ever to influence the 2008 elections.

In fact, the NRA factor could be decisive. This is especially true given who the GOP will be up against next year.

All the Republican candidates are aware that Hillary Clinton is the most anti-gun candidate ever. Yes, she's to the left of Walter Mondale and George McGovern on guns. She cannot do what Al Gore or John Kerry did, trying to suddenly appear to be hunters and outdoorsmen. Mr. Kerry's staged goose hunt gave rise to former NRA president Sandy Froman's comment that, "John Kerry is the only man in America who wears blaze orange as camouflage." Mrs. Clinton cannot even pretend to be anything other than a hardcore foe of gun ownership, setting the stage for a massive battle with the NRA in 2008.

The NRA now says it might consider getting involved with the primaries. Every candidate — in fact, every voter — should pay attention to that. They mean business.