Virginia's primary played a crucial role in the 2000 GOP presidential sweepstakes. George Bush's victory resembled a firewall against a challenge from John McCain. The results translated into enhanced treatment for the Virginia delegation at the Philadelphia convention.
Four years ago, Barack Obama decisively defeated Hillary Clinton in a Democratic contest that drew an astonishing turnout. Obama's primary numbers presaged his November win, when he became the first Democratic presidential nominee to carry Virginia since Lyndon Johnson.
The 2008 GOP primary lacked marquee status, but McCain and Mike Huckabee still put on a show.
Virginia's 2012 campaign will induce sleep. The Democrats will not have a primary; the Republican ballot will feature only two names — Mitt Romney and Ron Paul. The other Republicans failed to win lines, either through incompetence or indifference. Several GOP contenders subsequently went to the federal courts to seek an official listing among the field. The courts wisely said no.
The Republican campaign has had more ups and downs than the Blue Ridge. Romney's wins in battlegrounds have been followed by embarrassments. Others have had surges only to collapse. Rick Santorum has projected a staying power absent in the efforts of Newt Gingrich, Herman Cain, Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann. The excellent Jon Huntsman never gained traction.
Virginia could have been a major stop on the trail. Romney and Paul did what serious campaigns are supposed to do. The other Republicans failed miserably.
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