Four Republican presidential candidates — former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Texas Rep. Ron Paul — submitted petitions Thursday in time to qualify for Virginia's March 6 Republican primary.
Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman did not submit signatures with Virginia's State Board of Elections by Thursday's 5 p.m. deadline and will not be on the primary ballot.
The candidates who submitted the required signatures must clear another hurdle. The Republican Party of Virginia has until Tuesday to certify which candidates qualify.
Gingrich's diversion to Virginia ahead of the deadline for stops Wednesday night in Arlington County and in Short Pump on Thursday morning for a Republican Party of Virginia breakfast appeared to pay off.
To qualify for the primary ballot, candidates had to submit to the State Board of Elections the signatures of at least 10,000 registered voters, with 400 from each of the 11 congressional districts.
Gingrich's campaign submitted 11,050 signatures by the 5 p.m. deadline. Paul submitted 14,361 and Perry 11,911. Romney, who submitted 16,026 signatures, was the first Republican presidential candidate to file his petitions. His Virginia campaign chairman, Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, delivered them Tuesday.
President Barack Obama's re-election campaign filed earlier this month.
Gingrich, who has surged to front-runner status in the commonwealth in a recent poll, headlined a state GOP breakfast fundraiser at the Short Pump Hilton, as aides scrambled to get enough signatures to qualify him for Virginia's presidential primary ballot.
Gingrich told the crowd of about 200 that he expected to have 12,000 to 14,000 signatures assembled from throughout the state by Thursday's deadline.
The State Board of Elections will turn over the petitions to the respective political parties for validating. Republicans will begin the process Friday morning and have sought volunteers to help with the process.
The parties have until Tuesday at 5 p.m. to tell the State Board of Elections which candidates qualify for the March 6 primary ballot. The order of names will be decided by lottery Wednesday.
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