Posted on 12/24/2011 1:01:00 PM PST by Steelfish
Gingrich’s Ballot Miss Could Shake Voters’ Confidence
By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE December 24, 2011
Newt Gingrich declared confidently the other day that he would get his name on the ballot for the Republican presidential primary in Virginia. In fact, he said he already had the requisite 10,000 signatures and an additional 2,000 to 3,000 for safety’s sake and would probably collect even more. Related
But that turned out not to be the case. In the wee hours of Saturday morning, the Virginia Republican Party announced via Twitter that Mr. Gingrich had failed to submit enough signatures by the Thursday deadline, highlighting the organizational challenges to his campaign and raising questions about his prospects in a drawn-out nominating fight.
Many of the Gingrich campaign’s signatures were apparently invalid, which is why most campaigns try to collect almost twice as many as needed. Gov. Rick Perry of Texas and Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota also failed to make the grade.
The Gingrich campaign said it would work with the Republican Party of Virginia to pursue a write-in campaign, but Virginia does not allow write-in names in its primaries.
“Voters deserve the right to vote for any top contender, especially leading candidates,” Michael Krull, Mr. Gingrich’s campaign director, said in a statement.
This misstep is bad news for Mr. Gingrich on several levels. Virginia is his adopted home state. Failing to gather enough signatures in your own backyard creates an image problem, at the very least.
“It’s a disaster for him,” said Larry J. Sabato, a political scientist at the University of Virginia. “This sends yet another signal to Republicans that Gingrich is not able to organize.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Who is robbing anyone? If they have a certain requirement to get on the ballot; then it is what it is. Is the process the same there as in years past?
If it is, and this is not a new requirement; the campaigns have amateurs working for them.
Even bigger embarrassment for home-stater Rick Santorum.
Before we start weeping and wailing about what a dunce Newt is and how could this happen and how disorganized he is, what say we consider the source?
The NYT and RAT Sabato? Does anyone on FR believe they will give Newt the slightest break?
I am not a fan of Gingrich or Perry. That being said, this snafu is no indication positive or negative for either of them.
If someone is trying to make ground off this, like seelye or Sabato is here, they’ve got an axe to grind.
With all the voter fraud that is being perpetrated these days, I am glad that the Republican party leadership in a state is playing hardball with regulations.
Folks, when I move, I notify the registrar of voters. I want my voting materials to be sent to the proper address. I’m not sure why anyone would skip this important step.
As for Gingrich or Perry, their teams evidently didn’t know these strict regulations would be enforced. I’m not inclined to ding either of them on this matter, for not getting the proper amount of valid signature.
I’m not inclined to trash the state leadership over it either.
Tightening up the rules is not a bad thing.
This primary has just become irrelevant. Nobody is going to win big off of this. A few delegates are not going to sway this nomination one way or the other.
I agree; Santorum is badly hurt from any traction that he may gain out of IA because he was born in VA, I believe, and has also lived there.
LOL! Who’s the real loser here? (Look in any nearby mirror immediately.)
You seem overjoyed that we will get Romney or RUN Paul. Now there is cutting edge “Conservatism” for you!
Lost opportunity. How was Romney going to weasel out of a direct debate? Frankly, I'm kind of teed off at Newt for letting it happen and question his competence to lead a campaign.
Does he think he can mess up like this in the general election?
Perhaps this is the neoACORN method of democrat election procedures.
Yes, you are right as I see it. The establishment has it all under control before the first vote is cast.
It’s not a disaster for Gingrich as much as for the RPV. You’ve got only two of the seven nationally recognized candidates on the ballot and no write-ins are allowed. This had best be scrutinized very closely as on the surface it doesn’t pass the smell test.
I will not support the squishy, slimey, underhanded Myth, nor the fruit cake Rupaul.
Right now this is a slow motion trainwreck.
Professor Sabato and this writer are both Democrats, without a doubt, so why do they care what goes on in the Republican party?
And, where do you think Newt has resided for 30+ years?
Something rotten is going on in Virginia, and the GOP establishment appears to be at the heart of it.
Is it? Could it be possible? Naw, the GOP would not rig the petition process to ensure that Romney would not have competition would they?
Nothing is beneath these RINOs in order to protect their domains and the wealth that comes with it.
Back when it was just accepted the House of Reps would forever be rat, he engineered and pulled off their overthrow.
Similarly, it is given there is little we can do about the black-robed tyrants who regularly usurp the Constitutional will of the sovereign people. Here is his solution to Marxist Judges.
He may just be the flamethrower our republic needs.
“Professor Sabato and this writer are both Democrats, without a doubt, so why do they care what goes on in the Republican party?”
The demonrats always try to flim-flam the Stupid Party into nominating the weakest candidate.
According to Va GOP rules if you have 15000+ signatures, the signatures are not validated but if you have less than that they are checked. Now how fair is that? All you have to do is fill up a petition with names from a phone book or just make them up until you have 15001 and you get through scott free.
It’s about optics.
I cannot imagine the anger among the Newt, Perry and the other candidates supporters there, who make up over 60% of the primary vote.
They made this so difficult to register that only two out of 6 (The two of which were grandfathered in from being on the ballot in 2008) were able to qualify.
Anyone who thinks this will just pass by are seriously in denial.
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