It’s long been rumored that Del. Bob Marshall, who came within a whisker of winning the GOP Senate nomination in 2008, might try again in 2012. With this news [1], it looks like Bob is seriously testing the waters:
“I am nowhere near making an announcement,” he said. “But am I actively interested? Yes.”
Mr. Marshall has asked Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II for an opinion on how he should collect signatures for a run, since the General Assembly is still at an impasse over approving new lines for the state’s 11 congressional districts.
The GOP field narrowed slightly when Tim Donner dropped out [2] of the contest just after Christmas. One of Donner’s reasons for leaving was his campaign’s “…inability to narrow the field of challengers to one, despite numerous attempts to do so…”
If Marshall is indeed serious about running, he will have to gather the 10,000 signatures (with 400 from each congressional district), plus the 50 percent signature cushion, all by March 12th. And this will have to happen while the General Assembly session is underway, which also means Marshall might not be able to raise any money for such an effort.
His odds of actually getting on the ballot, then, are quite long. But if he can find a way to do it, the Senate race may become a real contest.