VA Primary: Gingrich campaign responds
By Lynn R. Mitchell | Saturday, December 24th, 2011 | Politics, VirginiaNewt Gingrich’s campaign has responded to his failure to qualify for the Virginia March 2012 primary ballot.
Richmond, VA – Newt 2012 released the following statement from Campaign Director Michael Krull regarding ballot qualification in Virginia.
“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.”
Cross-posted at LynnRMitchell.com
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As SWAC Girl (an acronym for Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County), Lynn has been writing in the Virginia political blogosphere since 2006. Active in area politics, she has coordinated campaigns and served in leadership for the past decade. The Shenandoah Valley of Virginia is one of the most beautiful places to call home ... the Republican Party carries her beliefs.
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47 Responses to "VA Primary: Gingrich campaign responds"
If voters can’t even write their own names on a petition for him, how does he expect to get them to write-in his on a ballot?
That is a statement from a whiny man, not the future leader of the free world.
And no one was “excluded” – they’ve known this was coming since July. The only failed system is his, and the other candidates who failed to qualify, political organization.
when Gingrich bitchslaps the media in a debate he’ll get cheered. I think if he tries the same thing with RPV he will get jeered.
Virginia Code Section 24.2-644(C) appears to prohibit write-in votes in primary elections. So, Newt and Perry are SOL.
Here’s the link to the code section:
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+24.2-644
Doug is correct: no write-ins allowed in a Virginia primary.
So the Gingrich campaign not only failed to qualify for the Va. ballot, but they also don’t understand Va. election law.
Over past decade, more than a dozen Republican candidates have qualified for statewide primaries in Virginia. The rules were well-known to all. And RPV did its job quite commendably.
So contrary to the statement from the Gingrich, it’s NOT the “system” that failed. The responsibility lies with that campaign.
“Only a failed system excludes four out of the six major candidates seeking access to the ballot.”
Look at every single Presidential election since 1999. Only one candidate could not muster up enough support to have his name on the Virginia primary ballot. Governors, LG Governors, Attorneys General all have to go through the same process as well. It’s not like the system is new, I think he’s too prideful to see that his campaign failed him.
“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.”
Again, if you cannot guarantee 10,000 votes for a state primary, than you are not a top contender. It shows that your support is either inflated or nonexistent. If the campaign is legitimate, you will be able to garner enough signatures.
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I think this shows Gingrich’s true colors. Two days ago, he was very positive and stated that he thought his campaign would easily turn in 14,000-15,000 signatures. Now he’s whining because his campaign’s grassroots movement failed him.
The system isn’t broken. Your campaign is, Newt.
Newt talking about a “flawed process.” There’s a joke in there somewhere…
Perhaps it will be the topic of his next book.
The system is broken. But it’s not just the Virginia requirement for 10,000 signatures that’s asinine.
- Primaries are controlled by parties, yet the taxpayers pay for them.
- No write-ins in primaries mean the parties control who Virginia citizens get to vote for.
- The Republican Party had already excluded some declared candidates (see Johnson, Gary) before Gingrich, Perry, Bachmann, and others failed to qualify.
Yes, this is a whiny response. It also fails to address real issues (what a surprise! In the Republican primary race, no less!) and is unfortunately, only reflective of an artificial process to choose a leader.
So if no one qualified for the primary, does that mean that no one would be on the general election ballot?
The code of Virginia sets the bar for getting on the ballot not the Republican Party of Virginia. It is the Party’s responsibility to check the petitions to make sure the campaigns did their job. If you don’t like the system take it up with the General Assembly, don’t blame the RPV. Newt can look in the mirror and fuss at the person that failed his campaign.
So if no one qualified for the primary, does that mean the primary wouldn’t be held since write ins are against the law?
Hey if you can’t organize a petition drive then why should you be President?
@Darrell: Yes, that’s correct.
Under Va. election law, if no candidate files and qualifies for the primary ballot, then no primary is held for that office. Also, if only one candidate files and qualifies, then no primary is held. (Case in point: Since Obama was the only Democrat to for President in Va., that means NO Presidential primary will be held for Va. Democrats.)
Primaries are held ONLY if two or more candidates file and qualify. And over the past decade, there have been numerous statewide races in both parties, where multiple candidates properly filed (with sufficient petition signatures), so primaries were held.
And I thought Newt was trouncing his competition here in Virginia. So much for that 5% lead here in Virginia.
Perhaps Newt would like to send US Marshals to arrest the RPV officials and bring them before his campaign staff to explain their decision.
Merry Christmas to everyone out there in cyberland.
Roll Call newspaper just tweeted that Gingrich will pursue a write-in campaign. This just keeps getting better. We know about how they work in VA primaries….they don’t!
“4 out of 6 major candidates”; who exactly is Newt not counting?
This is the reward given to those who fail to organize. You cannot win if you do not organize. That is Politics 101. It is both entirely appropriate and a precursor to the primary…can a campaign organize enough to qualify for the GOP Ballot in Virginia? The rules have been out there for years and signatures could have been gathered for about 6 months. The only failure here is for those who failed to plan. As Linwood said the candidate can then look in the mirror and fuss at the person that failed their campaign!
It irks me how any campaign would blame the system and/or RPV by saying it was a “failed system.” The law is the law. I was there volunteering for 18 hours yesterday validating signatures. It was NOT a failed system, it was a flawed and failed circulation effort.
Its not entirely clear that write-ins aren’t allowed for primary elections. There is a procedure required of write-in candidates in order that votes for them will be counted that applies no qualifiers to the type of elections it pertains.
If Mitt Romney didnt have the 10000 valid signutures , yall know as well as I do that RPV would have made a expection for Romney to be on the primary ballot. Newt is a frontrunner therefore he should be allowed to be on the ballot. Being that only four candidates submitted signatures all four should be on the ballot. The voters deserve to have choices.
Jimmy, nice conspiracy theory. I thought conservatives were supposed to be all about the “rule of law.” I’m amazed at how many folks are so quick to call “shenanigans.” You ever hear the theory that those that complain about a certain behavior are most apt to be the participants?
I’d also like to add that I doubt we’re even having this conversation if someone like Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio or Mitch Daniels had decided to run.
I’m really disappointed in the number of candidates who decided to not have the courage of their convictions and step up to the plate when needed.
That’s right Jimmie, let’s penalize the campaigns that did things right and let the others participate because they tried. That’s what democrats do, give them a participation ribbon so their feelings won’t get hurt. The RPV would give Romney a pass, that is such a joke. The Romney and Paul (not a fan) campaigns did their job and met the qualifications required under state code the others didn’t. Question for you, how many signatures did you collect for your guy?
“The code of Virginia sets the bar for getting on the ballot not the Republican Party of Virginia.”
Indeed, and who controls the state legislature? Why was this law enacted in 1999 no doubt to influence the 2000 primaries?
I guess Virginia and its two “major” political parties can be right proud of themselves today. “Rules are rules” is right.
As a result, I will have to skip March 6th because there is no way I can vote for Romney or Paul. What a “choice” thanks to these hackneyed rules.
That is unless there can be a write-in campaign. I’d love to see the constitionality of a no-write-in law tested in court. It violates the fairness doctrine in that one CAN vote a write-in in the General, but not in a primary. Who’s brilliant idea was that in the VA General Assembly?
Also, does this mean that if neither Romney or Paul win the nomination, the one who does won’t be on the VA ballott in November?
I must say I completely reject of ballott access based on petition, other than ballott initiatives. I think it’s called disenfranchisement.
Anyway, Virginia will just be fly-over territory for the rest of the primary campaign. It would almost be funny if Ron Paul won on March 6th. Almost.
We’re sure as hell going to win this on March 6th.
Here’s a question. What happens if I go to the polls on March 6th, don’t vote and just put the unmarked ballot in the box? What if thousands of others did the same thing? Certainly it would get noticed somehow, would it not? It may not effect who “wins” nor even the delegates awarded (or does that happen at the state convention? Is the party bound by the results of a primary? Virginia election law is so bloody confusing to me.)
Virginia was Newt’s to lose, and he did. With two candidates left, which of them can pose as the that “Generic Republican” who is outpolling Obama?
A lot of wishful thinking going on here. Newt was never going to win Virginia. Had Perry made the ballot, Newt would have finished last.
The self-righteous indignation is hilarious. If Romney hadn’t cut the mustard, and the pet candidates of the carpers had, we’d be listening to their gloating and about what a great system we have. I’m not a big fan of either Romney or Paul, but these complaints are just a big bunch of sour grapes.
So if Obama had been the only one to qualify for the primary, would that make him the automatic winner of the general election?
Late this afternoon reports on the radio were still saying that Gingrich will mount that vigorous campaign for write in ballots. Hasn’t anyone told him that he can’t do that in Virginia? He sounds like an even bigger dope every time he says that he’s going to mount a campaign in Virginia that isn’t even legal.
Lovettsville Lady–just because it’s on the news doesn’t mean it’s right. The Gingrich campaign came out later with a statement recognizing this setback and comparing it Pearl Harbor and a December surprise.
No Newt is good Newt. He is out of the game. Echoing JR, if Jeb Bush was in the race then conservatives would beat a path to wherever they had to go sign a petition and Jeb would have no problem overcoming the Bush name issue.
It is interesting to note that Cain had enough signatures on the way but now many of the people I worked with have realigned with Paul.
I just don’t see the groundswell for any candidate yet and fear the next president is already living in the whitehouse.
What is really significant about this incident, is the effect it has on fund raising ability.
Without a success in the early caucus’/primaries combined with failure to appear on a Super Tuesday ballot can only hurt campaign fund raising ability. Without money, messages and responses to charges don’t get out. This primary race has now become between a Constitutionalist and a Neocon. Pick one.
Gee, no one wants to answer my questions? What happens if no one qualifies for the Republican primary?
Darrell,
I reckon we don’t have a primary in Virginia. So? I no candidate cares about our primary, we’d send a delegation to the Convention beholden to no one. If that happened, maybe the TEA Party dream of a brokered convention could occur, and we could push a “Favorite Son” successfully.
Virginia code “Whenever within the time prescribed by this article there is no declaration of candidacy in a political party for the nomination for any office, the appropriate committee of the party may provide for an alternative method of nominating a candidate.”
And what would be the alternate method for a Presidential candidate? Does the RPV meet in a smoke filled room and draw straws?
Darrell, I doubt there is any smoke.
Then whats that smell Brian? Got manure spreader, will travel.
The smell is all the BS around here, lauding previous candidates in 2000 and 2008 for making the ballot with no problem, when the truth is NO ONE checked petitions in either of those years.
“NO ONE checked petitions in either of those years.”
Well that’s a revealing comment. What’s the real story here?
“But what has not been reported is that in the only other presidential primaries in which Virginia required 10,000 signatures (2000, 2004, and 2008) the signatures were not checked. Any candidate who submitted at least 10,000 raw signatures was put on the ballot. In 2000, five Republicans qualified: George Bush, John McCain, Alan Keyes, Gary Bauer, and Steve Forbes. In 2004 there was no Republican primary in Virginia. In 2008, seven Republicans qualified: John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, and Alan Keyes. ” http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2825002/posts
Soooo, (speaking through pursed lips to hide the anger) I guess I should rephrase my previous questions.
What happens when Newt’s lawsuit succeeds in getting the entire petition process results thrown out? Now no one qualifies under Virginia law.
(Gritting my teeth) Looks like we may get the chance to test that alternate universe theory. I wonder how many other lawsuits may be generated against the state (and its taxpayers) which might even include references to Federal election law? How much is this insider trading scheme going to cost us? Both parties should be culpable for this disaster.
Interesting how contesting the rules for a 2011 State legislature seat has boiled over into the Presidential primary. This shows how destructive either directly or indirectly a third party candidate can be to a mainstream political party.
Also, “The lawsuit, Osborne v Boyles, cl 11-520-00, was filed in Bristol County Circuit Court. It was filed too late to be heard before the election, but is still pending. The effect of the lawsuit was to persuade the Republican Party to start checking petitions. If the Republican Party had not changed that policy, Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry would be on the 2012 ballot.”
Brian, I am glad you pointed this out, as it has been the mantra of anti-Newt and Perry people here since this last Saturday. Over on Virginia Right, another wrinkle has been brought by editor Tom White, in that the VA code does NOT require an address to be on a petition for a PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY. I don’t know how many of Newt’s 2,000 signatures were kicked out for that reason, but it’s an interesting question. Our leader here, J.R., was the first to jump in poo-pooing that idea and adding it would only hurt Newt Gingrich with the Party establishment. (No mention of Perry was in that reply.) To which I replied that he was already pretty much out of favor with the VA GOP establishment. Personally, a spirited challenge to this in court would only boost my favorable opinion of Newt. But, I really can’t see it in the cards. But it might be a good way to scrap this ridiculously high bar for Presidential candidates.
How do you validate a signature without any address, smarty-pants? Good Lord, y’all will grasp at anything to smear the folks without whom you maybe have two dozen seats in Congress.
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