Update: Newt Gingrich also failed to qualify for the Virginia primary in March.
Rick Perry failed to submit enough signatures to get his name placed on the Virginia primary ballot. This situation was not intentional. According to the Washington Post:
Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry failed to submit enough valid signatures to qualify for the Virginia primary ballot, state GOP officials said Friday evening.
Perry’s campaign told state election officials it had submitted 11,911 signatures, but a Republican source familiar with the situation said that the Texas governor did not submit the required 10,000.
Earlier Friday, the Republican Party of Virginia certified former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.) to appear on the March ballot.
Four candidates — Romney, Perry, Paul and former House speaker Newt Gingrich — turned in thousands of signatures by the deadline Thursday.
State party officials are spending Friday certifying the signatures. They have not examined Gingrich’s signatures yet, but expected to do so by late Friday night. His campaign said it submitted 11,050 signatures .
Update, 6:30 p.m.: Jerry Kilgore, former attorney general and chairman of Perry’s campaign in Virginia, said in an interview Friday night he did not know how many signatures were submitted. He said he was disappointed, but that qualifying for the Virginia ballot is a “daunting task.”
Perry will just have to run in other primaries since Virginia is now unattainable. Did he have that many Virginia supporters? Where is Bachmann? Santorum? Are they still in the race?
Meanwhile, expect everyone to turn out for the primary. What does one have to do vote in the primary? They have to be a registered voter. Yes, Democrats and Independents can help Republican decide who to wins the primary. Last presidential primary, no one would be tempted to play games because in doing so you gave up your voting rights to do nefarious things like trying to throw an election with bogus votes. However, this time the Republicans are at a disadvantage. Everyone can vote. I probably won’t bother. I know what the punishment is. 50 million robo Republican robo calls for the general election in the fall.
Me thinks the robo calls will happen anyway – both parties will dig up every list that once was and dial up every number. Blocking will be useless as the calls will come in from all over the place.
Arrrggghhhhh! I am doomed. I don’t want them from anyone. They are horribly annoying.
I heard Gingrich didn’t qualify, either.
Last I heard they were still checking. You are probably right. I was listening in the middle of the night so who knows.
Just out of curiosity,, how does that happen? Is it political?
From what I’m seeing, the Republican establishment is firing on all cylinders behind Mitt Romney….so once again, it’ll be Obama vs. Bush (essentially). I don’t see anything really changing appreciably under a Romney presidency, and I know four more years of Obama would finish the nation off for good, so like I keep saying…..buy gold, folks!!
Ah another doomsdayer. Buy gold. Now …what if there isn’t a buyer for all that gold? It is a one pony show. Right before the winner is sworn in, the ancient Mayans will end the world so it is all for naught. Boom. Gone.
Pokie, I am starting ti dislike Romney big time. You all turned up your noses at everyone except the nut cases. No one even considered Huntsman, who is by far the more qualified of the Rs. Instead, you all drag out philanderers, people who oppose birth control, buffoons, homophobes, and then decry that you are getting 4 more years of Obama.
What is it that the song says….when will they ever learn,…..
Find a conservative who isn’t horribly flawed to run.
As I wrote earlier, my decision has come down to Romney or Paul so I get to vote for my top choice. The others have pathetic campaigns. 10,000 signatures is not that many. A few of our BOCS primary candidates got about 1,000 just walking around neighborhoods in PWC. Failure at this level says a lot about viability at the national level.
Paul doesn’t have all his oars in the water and he has some serious problems with those racial remarks. Perceived or otherwise, that won’t fly.
Again, I ask, why? Aren’t there any conservatives out there who aren’t nut cases or flawed? What on earth is wrong with Huntsman? There have to be conservatives out there who don’t have property with hot spots called N*head Rock, don’t have their zippers permanently at half mast, don’t shriek like banshees, don’t have husbands trying to pray away the gay, haven’t had 50 mistresses, etc.
I would choose Huntsman over Romney any day of the week if I were a Conservative.
@Moon-howler
Huntsman was saying similar things to Romney. He is the epitome of the establishment Republican. We don’t want one of those.
You know, if you don’t want an establishment Republican, then you should get out and start your own party. That’s pretty ballsy to join the Republican Party and then bitch that it is too Republican.
Seriously. The party is comprised of people like…gasp!…The Bush Seniors, the Bush kids, Baker, the Doles, and by George, they all act like Republicans. They have spent well over a half century each in the party. I wouldn’t be so quick to diss them. They are the establishment. Whether you agree with them politically or not, They are the backbone of the party and not some Johnny come Latelys.
I will not be voting for a Primary candidate then, unless I can write one in.
“What on earth is wrong with Huntsman?”
Nothing, other than the fact that his campaign isn’t competitive. See above for the “failure at this level speaks to viability” comment.
@Cato,
I am perplexed. Huntsman can’t run a competitive campaign as long as you have the buffoons in the mix. How do you compete against the side show. Its like you have to be a fool to get any notoriety. The fact that Romney’s ( who I am beginning to dislike) campaign is so consistent should be proof of that.
Gingrich definitely will not be on the primary ballot in Virginia.
Virginia Repugs are all about loyalty above all else. It is very much an elitest, old-boy network. That is why they are supporting Allen and Romney. Virginia teabaggers do not understand that they are very much on the outside of their network.
So Starry, it is Romney and who else?
Cargo, you want to throw Republicans out of their own party. That doesn’t sound very much like you place yourself on the outside to me. It sounds like you are preparing a revolution to overthrow the party and cast out the real Republicans.
The Virginia Republicans qualify or disqualify candidates. I would hope someone was looking over shoulders.
@Starryflights
Actually, the Tea Partiers do understand that they are on the outside. And the Establishment knows very well that THEY are our ultimate targets.
But…this had nothing to do with the Virginia Republicans. The candidates failed to qualify under state law. And they knew going in what was necessary.
From what I read, Gingrich claimed to have submitted the proper number of signatures under Virginia state law. But the state Repug party invalidated enough of them to disqualify him. None of the others except Perry even filed, which means only Romney and Paul will appear on the ballot.
@Moon-howler
I want to throw them out of office, not the party.
But…yes. I want to overthrow the Republicans and replace them with candidates that actually do what they promise or place in the platform.
No more business as usual.
So you are speaking insurrection from within the party. What does the mission statement say?
Why don’t you start your own party? Is it better just to squat in someone else’s party and throw the original people out?
There is something about doing that that just seems deceitful.
Govt like a democracy . doesn’t work as an individual. It works as a group and it works through cooperation and negotiation. It sounds like what you are advocating is simply minority rulke of a majority. That is the reason so many people dislike the tea party.
The State Board of Elections published the rules for the primary last May and told candidates they could begin collecting signatures starting on July 1. It’s not like this was some obscure “gotcha” technicality designed to snooker the Gingrich campaign. His campaign director can call the Virginia process “a failed system,” but to many this is just evidence of a failed campaign that was caught asleep at the switch. Another example is the same campaign director saying they would wage an aggressive write-in effort. Had they paid attention to the rules they’d know Virginia doesn’t allow write-ins in the primary. I had to smile when I checked the Virginia Republican Party website a few minutes ago. The opening banner on their homepage is an invitation to a “Republican Party of Virginia Grassroots Breakfast and Meet and Greet with Special Guest Former Speaker Newt Gingrich” two days ago in Richmond.
Moe, I guess the devil made you post that? 😈
Great find. Once again, the great Newt doesn’t have to go by the same rules everyone else does.
+1 to Morris’ comments. I got a robocall asking me to come out and support the Grinch and sign a petition for him. Not only no but HELL no.
The rules were plain as day. And, if – borrowing a term above – a sideshow candidate can pull it off why can’t some of these ‘more established’ candidates do so?
+1 to Cargo’s statement about candidates that are more than just business as usual.
To Slows comment I’d add — don’t forget the food, medical supplies, water and ammo!!!
How ready is your GTFO (bug) bag??
So I suppose it’s Paul and Romney. What part of “Paul didn’t make the racist comments” can’t libs understand? Actually, that’s a rhetorical question…I know libs can’t understand. As long as I can vote for Paul, I’m a happy guy. The 2012 election will come down to Obama or that-dude-that-ain’t-Obama. That’s hardly worth going to the polls for. The only fun will be casting my vote for whoever’s running against Connolly…..Fimian again, right?
@Slowpoke, How do you know Paul didn’t make racist statements? Remember our little talk about damage control and if it takes more than a sound bite to explain it, the person shouldn’t be running? I don’t know if he did or he didn’t. I don’t know if Obama was in the pew during one of Wrights rants or not either. There is something fishy and it doesn’t look good on Paul. Now lets talk about how he is a nut case to start with and work up.
Most of all, you dont know what he said and what he didn’t say either. You are just blowing smoke.
No, that’s not it. I can’t put my finger on it, but from the get-go his campaign seemed to be stuck in the mud. The only place he’s competing is in New Hampshire. Smells like he’s angling for #2.
@Moon-howler
Its not “squatting in someone else’s party.”
Its making the politicians live up to their own promises. Since Democrats refuse to govern responsibly, and the Republicans are the ones that state that THEY are the party of less spending and limited government, all we are doing is holding them to their word. And if they forswear their word….kick them out.
@Cargo, are you telling me you have been a Republican as long as Daddy Bush or Bob Dole? Those are established Republicans.
Less spending and limited government. Let’s look at this from another angle. What exactly does that mean? Less spending is meaningless. What do you want to spend less on?
Limited government. By George, we might agree if you will agree that the government needs to stay out of people’s reproductive business.
It doesn’t say much for Gingrich that he couldn’t get into the game on his home turf.
@Moon-howler
Its not Bush or Dole’s party. Its the Republican party, and that includes everybody in it.
Less spending. What is hard to understand? We take in, on average 18-19% of GDP. We are spending 25% of GDP. Spend less. Congress is there to prioritize.
Lets kill the Departments of Energy, Education, ATF, Homeland Security, and downsize the EPA, Transportation, Commerce, etc. Let’s pass an amendment stating that Congress is bound by all laws passed by them that apply to us. Kill their pensions. Serving is an honor, not a career. Let them put money into the Thrifts Savings Plan. Reform Medicare and Medicaid. Prioritize. Put ALL OF THE BUDGET AND ENTITLEMENTS ON THE TABLE. Review and reform our international aid. (Does a Muslim Brotherhood run Egypt really need 4 billion bucks and the M-1 tank contract? We’re leaving Afghanistan. Do we need to pay Pakistan ANY money?)
No more base line budgeting. A cut should be a cut, not a reduction in increases.
This says it best: Let’s pass a bill to cover the moon with yogurt that will cost $5 trillion today. And then let’s pass a bill the next day to cancel that bill. We could save $5 trillion. — Paul Ryan
Less government: Light bulb bans? Really? TSA expanding its role to the roadways? EPA regulations to control carbon dioxide? Secret watch lists? The ability to imprison Americans because they are considered terrorists without trial? Insane amounts of tax laws, regulations, loopholes, etc, that prevent the building of new businesses and the efficient running of existent ones. The idiotic Health Care reform that actually raises the costs of healthcare, kills insurance, and doesn’t come close to paying for itself. Patriot Act.
Your ‘vision’ for America sounds extremely simplistic and something my great-grandfather would come up with. We live in a complex world that is not necessarily based on how we would like things to be.
Why on earth do away with the Dept. of Energy? Energy and the aquisition of energy sources will be a main objective all too soon. Many of the main campaigns of WWII were over the aquisition of energy and its sources. Why were the Japanese pissed off with us in the first place? Why was Hitler in Africa and parts of the middle east? How much of the cold war was over energy and who owned what? How about the roots of the Persian Gulf War? . ATF? Equally silly to do away with it. Homeland Security could be restructured. It is too big.
EPA should be controlling anything that harms the environment. There will always be nay-sayers. It doesn’t mean I have to jump on the band wagon. I have heard the environmental nay sayers for years. I would say there are extremists on both ends. I think I will just go with major scientiic thought., which continually changes and undergoes refinement.
I just basically don’t like your world vision. It offends mine. I believe in balance. What you suggest is skewed.
PS the Muslim Brotherhood doesn’t get 4 Billion dollars from us annually. Israel doesn’t even get that much.
You won’t prevail because most Americans simply don’t agree with you. “Do away with it” is a simplistic answer to complex problems.
@Cargo, I keep coming back to the Republican Party discussion. You are more than willing to throw THEM out like they are the interlopers. Actually they aren’t. They are the grandparents of the party. Notice that when you all got a little squirrely with the candidates, you were indulged. Once Newt got in the mix, the establishment took notice and dumped huge amounts of money behind Romney. Hmmm…whose party is it? The big tent is big tent as long as the side shows help the establishment. Once the establishment feels things have gone too far, you are going to feel tremendous push-back.
Sarah Palin never stood a chance because she got in the establishment’s face. She insulted people like the Bushes. Once she pissed them off, I knew she would be an ‘also ran.’ The Grand Old Party isn’t going to be without a party. I feel very confident about what I just wrote. Age and Treachery thing…..or perhaps its just a grand scheme of’ Money talks and bullsh!!!t walks’ on a level I will never really understand except from afar. .
Its easier to see if you have no passion for it. I lost my political passion years ago.
So let me make sure I have this correct. You are saying Paul made racist statements, and I am just blowing smoke. That right?
I am saying you don’t know what he did or did not say over the years and neither do I. @pokie
The GOP, unless it starts to realize that things have changed, will be relegated to the dust bin. If it continues to be a status quo party, that ignores its own platform, lies to its members, and continues “business as usual” then it WILL lose elections. It will follow in the footsteps of the Whigs. The Democrats will win elections because conservatives will stop voting.
The establishment GOP members are not interlopers. They are members working within a failed structure. Business as usual, caving to Democrat demands, following the Democrat narrative, accepting the Democrat premise of always needing to spend more and grow government, is the current mode of the establishment GOP.
They will either learn to live up to their OWN statements or they will start to lose elections. Palin smartly stayed out of the race. One…she’s making money. Two….three years of constant negative press and personal destruction made it too hard to get a fair hearing, so to speak. Three…..screw the Bushes. They don’t own the GOP and Bush 1, while a nice man, started the down slide with his cave to increase taxes while promising not to raise them. Bush II spent like a Democrat. Its time for the Tea Party types to become the establishment.
@Moon-howler
Our world is no more complex than we make it. Our world is no more complex than it was for our Great grandfathers. The basic principles still apply.
The dept of Energy was created to make us self sufficient in energy production. Well….?
So, its has failed, and is failing. Time to do without it. The government under Obama is NOT acquiring energy sources and is, in fact, RESTRICTING our energy supplies. So, apparently, the Dept. of Energy is not in the business of increasing our energy independence.
The EPA needs to be reined in. When it starts using faulty science to make policy and ignores cost/benefit analysis, and is willing to shut down 8% or more of our energy producers, its gotten out of hand.
ATF – Why do we have a national organization to worry about alcohol and tobacco? Its a legal product. Sell it like any other. As for the firearms, the ATF is notorious for being anti-gun. Do we have a federal agency to monitor printing presses? And the recent Fast and Furious “Gun Walker” scandal shows that its corrupt and inept. Fold the agents back into the FBI.
Aid to Israel: Sorry, its dropped. 2008 showed 2.5 billion in direct aid. But if you add in other military aid…it rises. Aid to Egypt is about 2.5 billion per year.
If the Muslim Brotherhood takes over Egypt, why should we finance such a terrorist organization that supports HAMAS, etc.?
I don’t expect to prevail…now. Its taken decades to get this screwed up. It will take decades to fix it, if the American people keep at it. Apparently, many Americans like the idea of cutting the size of government, as shown by the last elections and the rise of the Tea Party.
Otherwise, what is the alternative? Keep on spending money that we don’t have? Obama wants ANOTHER 1.2 TRILLION dollars. The debt ceiling was supposed to last until 2013.