Santa Brings McLean Neighbor Newt Gingrich Bad News About Virginia Super Tuesday Ballot

GOP presidential candidate and McLean neighbor Newt Gingrich will not appear on the Virginia Super Tuesday  ballot in March because his campaign failed to submit enough valid signatures, according to several news reports.

The Associated Press reported that "Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich's campaign attacked Virginia's GOP primary election system on Saturday for keeping him off the state's March 6 Super Tuesday ballot, a significant setback for a candidate who has surged in popularity but has struggled to organize his campaign."

The state Republican party said that Gingrich had failed to submit the required 10,000 signatures to appear on the ballot. Texas Gov. Rick Perry also failed to qualify, the Virginia GOP said.
The Gingrich campaign responded that "only a failed system" would disqualify Gingrich and other candidates. It said Gingrich would pursue an aggressive write-in campaign in Virginia.

Gingrich appeared at a fundraiser in Rosslyn Wednesday night and assured supporters that his campaign has submitted enough signatures to qualify for the Super Tuesday ballot.

The Washington Post reported: “After verification, RPV has determined that Newt Gingrich did not submit required 10k signatures and has not qualified for the VA primary,” the party announced on Twitter.

The rejection is a significant setback for the Gingrich campaign since he is leading the polls in Virginia among likely Republican voters and is seen as a strong contender for the nomination, The Post reported