The Hill Reports: “After verification, RPV has determined that Newt Gingrich did not submit required 10k signatures and has not qualified for the VA primary,” the Republican Party of Virginia (RPV) announced early Saturday morning over Twitter.
The RPV released the same tweet about Rick Perry on Friday night.
Candidates were required to submit 10,000 signatures by Thursday at 5 p.m. to qualify for Virginia’s “Super Tuesday” March 6 GOP primary.
Gingrich was campaigning in New Hampshire earlier this week, but left suddenly for Virginia in a last minute effort to collect signatures.
The Gingrich campaign responded on Saturday by calling Virginia’s primary process a “failed system” because it is excluding four of the six candidates who sought ballot access in the state.
“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,” said campaign spokesman R.C. Hammond. “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.”
However, according to a Reuters report, the Virginia Code does not permit write-in candidates for primary elections.
“At all elections except primary elections it shall be lawful for any voter to vote for any person other than the listed candidates for the office by writing or hand printing the person’s name on the official ballot,” the code says.
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, Rep. Michele Bachmann and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman all failed to submit the required paperwork by Virginia’s deadline. President Obama’s re-election team filed his paperwork to be on the Democratic primary ballot earlier this month.
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