In 24 hours voters in Michigan and Arizona will head to the polls for the start of arguably the most important day in the 2012 presidential nominating contest. While Arizona appears to be safe territory for Mitt Romney, his fate is much less certain in his native Michigan, and that could amplify the blow of defeat there by challenger Rick Santorum. Conventional wisdom suggests that if Santorum wins Michigan, he still has to contend with Newt Gingrich, who is expected to perform well in southern states on Super Tuesday. Yet if Michigan goes for Romney, he'll regain undisputed frontrunner status.
Bottom line, it's all up in the air today, and these final moments count the most. We'll get into it all today on NOW at noon ET.
PANEL
Ari Melber, The Nation/msnbc Contributor (@arimelber)
Fmr. Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA), NBC News Political Analyst
Alicia Menendez, NBCLatino.com Political Commentator (@aliciamenendez)
Hugo Lindgren, Editor, New York Times Magazine (@hugolindgren)
GUESTS
Alice Stewart, Santorum National Press Secretary (@alicetweets)
Bill Burton, Priorities USA Action (@billburton716)
P.J. Crowley, Fmr. State Dept. Spokesman (@pjcrowley)