He's going to have a primary fight, by the way.
So this year's primary fight is an important one.
But averting a primary fight represents the most important test of his political skills yet.
The first was that a rancorous primary fight had left him short on both campaign funds and good will from voters.
The state, in fact, is likely to play no significant role in the primary fight at all.
The general election campaign, however, will be a very different from the primary fight.
In an interview last week, he seemed to be laying out ground rules for a primary fight.
"It's never helpful to have a primary fight," he said.
Seventy million: the estimate of dollars he had raised for the primary fight.
Republicans need not worry about a costly, draining primary fight.