Paul Egan and Kathleen Gray, Detroit Free Press 4:46 p.m. EDT September 19, 2015

Kasich supporters, from left, Bradley Pischea, 21, of Haslett; Samuel Parkes, 21, of Dearborn; and Dan Selman, 29, of Southfield, ride the ferry to Mackinac Island Friday.(Photo: Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press)

MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich. — The presidential election is more than a year away, but normally placid Mackinac Island was transformed Friday into a campaign battleground, at least for six GOP candidates scheduled to speak over the weekend at the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference.

Unsuspecting tourists who arrived on the island by ferry with more than 2,200 conference registrants were greeted by campaign volunteers dressed in colorful T-shirts who thrust leaflets and promotional stickers into their hands.

"Is Donald Trump here?" was the most commonly heard question from tourists who decided to visit Michigan's home of horse-drawn carriages and handmade fudge on an overcast fall day with comfortable temperatures.

Trump, the billionaire real estate tycoon and reality TV star who is the surprise front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, is not attending the conference. But six of the other 15 candidates were expected — former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, Ohio Gov John Kasich, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.

Walker, who was scheduled to speak at breakfast Saturday morning, canceled his appearance just hours before the event because poor weather prevented him from arriving aboard a charter flight, the Michigan Republican Party said.

In addition to trying to win support of those who will vote in the Michigan primary on March 8, the candidates are vying for a potential boost from a presidential straw poll being conducted as part of the GOP conference, which is held every other year.

Michigan Republican Party Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel, the niece of 2012 Republican presidential candidate and Michigan native Mitt Romney, said this year's conference registration has set a record for the 31 times the event has been held.

"The six that are here have made it very clear they're investing in Michigan" and "putting Michigan in play in terms of their strategy," Romney McDaniel said. But with a busy schedule of Republican events around the nation — a huge one in South Carolina just wrapped up — it shouldn't be assumed that the candidates who didn't attend aren't interested in making a push in Michigan, she said.

For instance, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio was not attending the conference but sent Rick Harrison, star of the TV show Pawn Stars, to stump for votes.

Ted Cruz supporter Barbara Bookout of Grand Rapids was handing out literature at the Shepler's Ferry dock. (Photo: Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press)

The Kasich campaign had a strong presence on the island Friday, too, with large numbers of college students sporting Kasich T-shirts.

Scott Blake, Kasich's regional political director, said young people like Kasich's positive message and "want someone with real solutions who will help them get a job when they get out of school."

Barbara Bookout of Grand Rapids was greeting arrivals at the Shepler's Ferry terminal, handing out literature promoting Cruz. "He's a constitutional conservative," she said.

Bush was perceived as a likely early front-runner but has seen his poll numbers stuck in single digits amid unexpected surges by Trump and neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who was born in Detroit.

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, who is chairing Bush's Michigan campaign, said, "People will see a lot of Jeb Bush at this conference."

"This is about the long run, the long pull," Schuette said of Bush, who addressed the conference Friday night. "You’ve got to be able to go the distance."

Lt. Gov. Brian Calley, who has not endorsed a presidential candidate, said the turnout by presidential candidates at Mackinac shows an economic and political resurgence in Michigan and the Midwest that can't be considered "flyover country."

The absence of Trump "will give other candidates more face time," Calley said.

Trump's strategy "is different in that he really does rely on being the biggest personality in the room," Calley said. "So for him, it presents a high degree of risk to be in a room with people who can go toe-to-toe with him."

After Fiorina confronted Trump during Wednesday night's debate on issues such as his business record and attitudes toward women, "it was remarkable how quiet Mr. Trump was throughout the second half of the debate."

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