Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush endorsed Mitt Romney yesterday, following the former Massachusetts governor's lopsided victory in Illinois. But whereas that might have been the gold-standard endorsement a few years back, the seal of establishment approval isn't so sought after these days. Anna Sale, reporter for It's a Free Country, looked into the changing face of the Republican Party and joins us to discuss these changes and the implications on the GOP as we once knew it.

No contender for the GOP nomination has been more successful raising campaign cash than Mitt Romney. Romney was just in New York City on a fundraising trip, taking checks from bankers and businessmen. But how might those big contributions harm the on-again/off-again Republican frontrunner, who's already struggling with an image problem generated by his immense wealth? And how might the Super PACs be turning the dynamics of this year's campaign on its head?

Voters in 10 states weigh in on the Republican presidential line-up today in Super Tuesday primary elections and caucuses around the country. Four hundred and thirty-seven delegates are up for grabs -- but also at stake is the momentum of the campaign. Who is out there voting today? Is the Republican primary voter demographic in Idaho and Alaska the same as in Tennessee and Georgia? And who are they voting for?

With shifting demographics, the white, working-class worker isn't the only voting block that matters — but they're still very vocal and powerful one. Sharing some beliefs and experiences of disillusionment, these voters primarily cast their ballots based on social issues. As Romney continues to slide in his home state the day before the election, it's possible that Santorum could yet again surpass him in the Michigan and Arizona primaries.

Over the weekend, Romney won both the CPAC straw poll and Maine caucuses; he'll head to Arizona on Monday while Santorum heads to Washington. After rioting and looting in Athens, Greece's parliament approved an austerity and debt-relief bill early Monday. Back in the States, President Obama unveils a budget blueprint Monday. Later this week, Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping visits the White House. Fourth quarter earnings reports from more than 50 S&P 500 companies are expected this week. 

It was another decisive victory for Mitt Romney as he easily took Nevada this weekend. Things appear to be looking up for the on-again, off-again Republican front-runner. This month's Primary schedule favor the former Massachusetts governor. But with a long road ahead to the Republican National Convention in September, it's still possible that Romney's key GOP antagonist Newt Gingrich could regain his momentum.

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney won a decisive victory in yesterday’s Florida primary, dealing a major setback to Newt Gingrich’s hopes of a fully-realized insurgent candidacy. With decided forward momentum, it's clear that Romney has recovered from the miscalled Iowa caucus victory and is now leading the GOP pack: Romney won with 46 percent of the vote as compared to Gingrich’s 32 percent. Meanwhile, former Iowa frontrunners Rick Santorum came in third with 13 percent, and Ron Paul only carried seven percent of the vote.

This morning The Takeaway is exploring the importance of the Florida Primary from the perspective of the diversity of a state that has been decisive in presidential elections going back two decades. The diversity of Florida may be the first real test of the strength of the Republican message nationally whoever wins the primary.

As one of the states hardest hit by the subprime mortgage crisis, many Floridians have endured either under-employment or long-term unemployment in addition to losing their homes. Anna Sale, reporter for It’s a Free Country, the politics website of our co-producer WNYC, talks with voters in Florida about how they feel about the candidates going into the final weekend before this crucial primary.

On Saturday, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich pulled in 40 percent of the 600,000 primary votes in South Carolina in what has been called the largest Republican primary in history. Significantly, nearly two-thirds of these voters were evangelical or born-again Christians. This win comes in the wake of news that Mitt Romney did not in fact win the Iowa caucuses, and means that there has been no consistent candidate across these three key tests of presidential mettle. 

In Iowa it was intense sincerity, in New Hampshire it was sophisticated ambivalence, what's the pulse of South Carolina voters. Anna Sale has been our non-scientific emissary to voters and voter sentiment in each of these GOP contests. Anna tell us about two events in the state yesterday that give us a snapshot of two important voting blocs in this all important conservative, southern, primary contest.

Only four days left until the South Carolina Republican presidential primary. That means only four days for the candidates to derail front-runner Mitt Romney off the path to the GOP nomination. At last night's debate in Myrtle Beach Romney fended off attacks on his business record, his personal wealth, and his moral character.

Despite focusing all of his campaign's attention on New Hampshire instead of Iowa, former U.S. ambassador to China John Huntsman came in third in Tuesday's primary. Independent favorite Ron Paul took second place with 23 percent of the vote while Iowa caucus victor Mitt Romney won a comfortable lead at 39 percent. Todd Zwillich, Takeaway Washington correspondent and Anna Sale, reporter for It’s a Free Country, the politics website for our co-producer WNYC, give their thoughts on what these results mean for the rest of the GOP race.

If Mitt Romney can hold on for a victory in New Hampshire, he will have history on his side: in every contested Republican primary season since 1980, no candidate has won the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary. And while Romney may not have a hometown advantage, his reputation as former governor of neighboring Massachusetts has in part helped propel him to the top of many pre-primary polls. But polls and actual votes — as evidenced by his eight-vote caucus victory — are very different things.

In Iowa, Mitt Romney just squeaked by, winning the state's caucus with an eight vote margin over former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum's late in the game surge from behind. But New Hampshire is a different ballgame. Romney, former Governor of neighboring Massachusetts has had a near hometown advantage in the Granite State. He has been leading in the polls for weeks and is not letting up heading into tomorrow's primary vote. 

In one of the closet presidential contests in history, Mitt Romney was declared winner of Tuesday night's Iowa caucuses by a mere eight votes. Romney took 24.6 percent of the vote, barely edging out rival Rick Santorum, who was carried to the top of the polls with the support of evangelical Christians. Young caucus-goers helped deliver libertarian Congressman Ron Paul a close third place finish, with 21.4 percent of the vote. The night was perhaps most disappointing for one-time front-runners Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry. Bachmann finished last, with only five percent of the vote. Perry announced he would suspend his campaign after placing just ahead of Bachmann.

Over 100,000 voters will head to the polls on Tuesday evening to select their 2012 presidential nominee. A Des Moines Register poll conducted last week put Mitt Romney in the lead with 24 percent of GOP caucusgoers' votes, followed closely by Ron Paul at 22 percent and Rick Santorum at 15 percent. Yet only 51 percent of those surveyed were decided. 

The Republican presidential hopefuls spent their New Year's weekend trying to differentiate themselves from each other and convince Iowans to caucus for them on Tuesday. Front-runner Mitt Romney tried to fend off a new challenge from Rick Santorum, who has surged in recent days to the top of the polls. Ron Paul, who spent his New Year at home in Texas, also stands to make a strong showing in Tuesday's caucuses. The Democratic Party has stepped up efforts in Iowa as well, targeting Romney for his record of laying off workers while CEO of private equity firm Bain Capital.

The first week of the new year holds a lot of potential change. The widely-hyped Iowa caucuses will be held Tuesday. The same day Palestinian and Israeli negotiators will meet in Jordan to revive peace talks. And four Nigerian states declared a state of emergency.

With less than two weeks until the caucus, many voters are unenthusiastic about the Republican presidential hopefuls. Ron Paul, a libertarian Texas congressman, is in the lead, but many voters don't believe his unconventional politics will get him elected. Tea Party members and evangelical Christians don't feel they are properly represented in any of the candidates. No candidate has a solid core of voters, so aggressive campaigning will continue until January 3rd.