Gingrich Excluded From Primary In Virginia

Newt Gingrich received a political lump of coal in his stocking on Christmas Eve, as the state of Virginia announced the former House Speaker failed to deliver the 10,000 verifiable signatures required to be included on the state's primary ballot.

Gingrich, who resides in Virginia, led all candidates in recent polling, but will be unable to earn delegates from the state.

Only Mitt Romney and Ron Paul met the state's requirements for inclusion in the primary, and as a result, they will be the only choices Republican voters in Virginia see on the March 6 ballot.

Gingrich campaign director Michael Krull gave us insight into what a Newt presidency might look like as he blamed the "failed system" in the state of Virginia for Gingrich's exclusion, rather than accepting responsibility for the campaign screw-up. This failure is also evidence of the kind of weakness and structure inherent in Gingrich's campaign that has so many Democrats excited about the possibility of an Obama-Gingrich general election in November.

Say what you will about Ron Paul as an eccentric and unelectable candidate, but the Texas Congressman managed to collect and submit the required signatures by the Virginia deadline. There is clearly both truth and relevance behind the assertions with which we are constantly barraged about Ron Paul's grassroots organization and "boots on the ground" capacity in states across the union.