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While the GOP Presidential contenders prepare for primaries in Wisconsin, Maryland and Washington, D.C., candidate Mitt Romney garners key endorsements from Senator Rob Johnson and Congressman Paul Ryan. Is the Republican Party finally coalescing around their presumptive nominee? Back in Washington, President Obama is set to sign the STOCK Act and the JOBS Act on Monday, while the Bureau of Labor Statistics prepares to release job numbers for March on Friday. What does this mean for the future of the economy? Charlie Herman, business and economics editor for The Takeaway and WNYC and Molly Ball, staff writer covering national politics for The Atlantic, explore the stories for the week ahead.

Despite growing up in Detroit — and Rick Santorum's anti-bailout speech to the Detroit Economic club — the most recent polls from Michigan have Mitt Romney trailing Santorum by an average of six points. Romney has tried to curb Santorum's upswell by outspending him three to one in advertising. Given the indecisiveness of the race thus far, whether or not Romney takes Michigan could be a turning point in the nomination.

Politics reporter for New York Magazine and author of Game Change, John Heilemann, discusses what happened in this weekend's two New Hampshire debates and who stands to win and lose in tomorrow's GOP primary. 

On Tuesday, Iowans will go to the polls for the Iowa caucuses, the first major electoral event of 2012 presidential elections. And while the open field of GOP presidential hopefuls has amped up nationwide media coverage of the caucuses, here in New York, some voters say they're suffering from caucus fatigue.

Mitt Romney lost the New Hampshire GOP primary to John McCain in 2008, but he's hoping 2012's primary will be different. Romney received a key endorsement from the granite state's former governor, John H. Sununu. New Hampshire will hold the first presidential primary in the nation in January after the Iowa caucuses. While Romney continues to be the front runner in the GOP race, support for the former Massachusetts governor remains tepid at best. With a history of modified positions and the albatross of "Romneycare," the Massachusetts health care reform legislation that served as a model for President Obama's health care reform, hanging around his neck, many in the GOP base question Romney's conservatism.

Josh Putnam, an assistant professor at Davidson College who studies presidential primaries and writes the blog FrontloadingHQ, discusses how states are deciding when to schedule presidential primaries and party caucuses, and how the schedule determines the candidates who get into the race.

Republican presidential hopefuls debated last night in New Hampshire, one of the early states that is important to win in the primaries along with Iowa. The two states are the first to hold presidential contests. The influence of Iowa and New Hampshire have made candidates pander to those states' needs, which can be markedly different than the needs of the majority of the United States. David Leonhardt, economics columnist for The New York Times explains.

Earlier this week, WNYC reporter Azi Paybarah compiled predictions for the NY state primaries. Streetsblog founder Aaron Naparstek and lawyer John O'Hara talk about their predictions (they were the closest!).

Nate Silver, blogger for the New York Times' Five Thirty Eight blog, and Melinda Henneberger, founder and editor-in-chief of Politics Daily, discuss the results of primaries across the country.

Though the headlines this morning say the Tea Party won big last night, that narrative discounts the fact that those candidates aren't likely to win in the general election in November. So what do yesterday's primaries say about the nation's political climate?

Jeff Zeleny, national political correspondent for The New York Times, explains what the results from these state-wide races can tell us about the national political picture or whether they hinged on local issues.

Republican primary voters in Delaware faced a much-hyped choice at the polls yesterday, and ultimately voted for Tea Party-endorsed Christine O'Donnell over moderate long-term Delaware Rep. Mike Castle. The state Republican party campaigned hard against O’Donnell, saying she is likely to lose against a Democrat in the general election. The outcome could have big consequences for which party will occupy Vice President Biden’s place in the Senate.

Mayor Bloomberg had harsh words on primary day for the way the election was being run in New York City.

Throughout the show listeners call in to share how they voted.

WNYC reporters Azi Paybarah and Bob Hennelly unpack the day's political news.  

Lawrence Norden of the Brennan Center for Justice, NYU School of Law, discusses the limited operating hours at polling stations throughout the city.

Candidates running in tomorrow's primary have been appearing around New York City today, hunting for last-minute votes. Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani stumped in upper Manhattan with Republican Senate candidate David Malpass. Mayor Michael Bloomberg's girlfriend, Diana Taylor, campaigned for Democrat Reshma Saujani, who's challenging Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney.

Voting rights advocates are poised with poll watchers, online surveys and phone hotlines to record what they think is going to be a chaotic day as New York City residents try out new electronic voting machines for the first time in the September 14 primary.

On September 14, New Yorkers vote in primary elections that will determine the final slates for federal, state and local races this November. If you are a registered voter in New York and have a designated political party affiliation, you can vote in your party’s primary elections. Or if you're not sure whether you're registered, don't know who represents you, and have no idea where to go come Tuesday, fear not. We can help.

Juan Manuel Benitez, reporter for NY1 Noticias and host of Pura Política, and Edward-Isaac Dovere, editor of City Hall, a website and monthly publication focused on New York politics and policy, discuss the key races in tomorrow's primary.

Juan Carlos "J.C." Polanco, NYC Board of Elections commissioner, walks Brian through the new voting methods for tomorrow's elections. Then Jessica Friedman Hewitt, former managing director of AIGA's Design for Democracy, looks at the design of new ballot that will be used in tomorrow's New York primary.