4 of 6 major candidates fail to qualify for the GOP Virginia primary

[jimmy olsen]

Sounds like they placed the requirements a bit too high.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57348137-503544/gingrich-camp-assails-virginias-failed-system/

The campaign of Newt Gingrich assailed a "failed system" for his failure to make it onto the ballot for the Virginia Republican primary.

The state GOP announced early Saturday morning that Gingrich's campaign had failed to submit the required number of signatures to qualify for the March 6 primary. On Friday it was announced that Texas Gov. Rick Perry had also failed to qualify.

Gingrich, Perry fail to make Va. Ballot

The state's election board requires candidates petitioning for inclusion in the primary to file 10,000 signatures from registered voters, including 400 from each of Virginia's 11 congressional districts.

It was reported Thursday that Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman were also off the ballot. So far, only former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney and Texas Congressman Ron Paul are officially on the primary ballot.

On Saturday Newt 2012 released the following statement from Campaign Director Michael Krull:

"Only a failed system excludes four out of the six major candidates seeking access to the ballot. Voters deserve the right to vote for any top contender, especially leading candidates. We will work with the Republican Party of Virginia to pursue an aggressive write-in campaign to make sure that all the voters of Virginia are able to vote for the candidate of their choice."

They will have to get VERY aggressive: Under Virginia law (§ 24.2-529), write-in votes are not allowed on ballots in primary elections.

[DGuller]

I have to admit, I find it a little amusing to see the Republicans' instinct to disenfranchise lead to such friendly fire incidents.

[Valmy]

This has never been a problem before hasn't it?  Did they change the law in Virginia?

And really Santorum and Bachmann were major candidates?

[Razgovory]

This has never been a problem before hasn't it?  Did they change the law in Virginia?

And really Santorum and Bachmann were major candidates?

They are as much as Ron Paul is.

[Valmy]

They are as much as Ron Paul is.

At least he has his shit in order.  Perry and Gringrich cannot even manage to get on a ballot.  Sure want one those dudes running the Executive Branch.

[Martinus]

They are as much as Ron Paul is.

At least he has his shit in order.  Perry and Gringrich cannot even manage to get on a ballot.  Sure want one those dudes running the Executive Branch.

Gingrich probably couldn't make it as he was fucking someone else's wife and Perry forgot one out of three things he had to do to register.

[Winkelried]

They are as much as Ron Paul is.

At least he has his shit in order.  Perry and Gringrich cannot even manage to get on a ballot.  Sure want one those dudes running the Executive Branch.

Gingrich probably couldn't make it as he was fucking someone else's wife and Perry forgot one out of three things he had to do to register.

Oops.

[CountDeMoney]

I have to admit, I find it a little amusing to see the Republicans' instinct to disenfranchise lead to such friendly fire incidents.

No shit.  And with Cain dropping out, the Virginia GOP doesn't have to explain how they weren't going to allow a nigger on the ballot no matter how many signatures he had who does he think he is anyway and with all those white women that's just asking for trouble round these parts.

[alfred russel]

If they were aiming to keep the no chance and/or crazy candidates off the ballot, I don't think they overshot the mark at all, and were probably too lax with the standards.

[Neil]

Indeed.  If Ron Paul makes it on the ballot, you've got problems.

Mind you, I guess he's really popular with highly-motivated lunatics.

[grumbler]

The Virginia GOP has traditionally caucused for their candidates, and is uninterested in making primary elections work well.

[Fate]

From what I've read these requirements are a matter of state law (not the GOP), and that they've been in force since the 2000 election. If people like Alan Keyes were able to get on the Virginia ballot successfully under this law, then that really speaks ill of the organizational power of Perry and Gingrich.

[Eddie Teach]

Well, Gingrich has only been a serious candidate for a month or two and Perry was only ever one on paper.

[dps]

The Virginia GOP has traditionally caucused for their candidates, and is uninterested in making primary elections work well.

Yeah, but from my understanding a lot of that dates back to the time when the south (including Virginia) was soldily Democratic, and there weren't really enough Republicans in the state to bother with a primary. 

IIRC, when I lived in Virginia, the Republican Party was still leary of holding primaries because one (or two?) of the congressional districts were still so heavily Democratic that there might be problems with there being enough Republicans there to allow more than a very few candidates to get 400 signatures in that(those) district(s).  I don't know if that's the problem with the situation now, or just a major screw-up by the Gingrich and Perry campaigns.

[Viking]

The Virginia GOP has traditionally caucused for their candidates, and is uninterested in making primary elections work well.

Yeah, but from my understanding a lot of that dates back to the time when the south (including Virginia) was soldily Democratic, and there weren't really enough Republicans in the state to bother with a primary. 

IIRC, when I lived in Virginia, the Republican Party was still leary of holding primaries because one (or two?) of the congressional districts were still so heavily Democratic that there might be problems with there being enough Republicans there to allow more than a very few candidates to get 400 signatures in that(those) district(s).  I don't know if that's the problem with the situation now, or just a major screw-up by the Gingrich and Perry campaigns.

Gerrymandering FTL. Just imagine the democrats letting themselves get gerrymandered with one district with fewer than 400 republicans.