Despite the fact that Newt Gingrich, Republican contender in the upcoming presidential primaries, is a Virginia resident and a veteran politician, he has failed to submit the needed 10,000 signatures that, according to Virginia law, are needed to secure a place on the ballot in Virginia.
Running a Campaign is Hard Work
Virginia’s Super Tuesday primary vote is scheduled for March 6, 2012, and the failure of both Gingrich and Texas Governor Rick Perry to get on the ballot there attests to the difficulty novice national candidates have in getting ready for the difficult task of running a presidential campaign.
Write-In Candidate?
Gingrich has stated that he will begin an aggressive write-in campaign, but Virginia law prevents this alternative from being realized.
Advantage for Romney
The problems Gingrich and Perry are experiencing underscore the advantage which Mitt Romney has in this election. The former governor of Massachusetts, it is not an exaggeration to say that essentially, Romney has been running for president for five years. Romney’s campaign team is larger than those of his rivals, affording it the ability to pay close attention to the filing requirements of each state where he would like to be on the ballot. Romney will be on the Virginia ballot this coming March, along with fellow Republican contender Ron Paul, who has also run a national campaign in the past.