Virginia Attorney Generall Ken Cuccinelli (R) called it an embarrassment that only two of the GOP presidential candidates will be on the March 6 primary ballot. Of the candidates, only former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Texas Rep. Ron Paul submitted the necessary 10,000 signatures. Newt Gingrich, a resident of Virginia and one of the frontrunners in the polls, did not make the deadline.
Cuccinelli, who has announced a bid for governor in 2013, says Virginia requirements are too strict. Virginia requires 400 legitimate signatures from each of the state’s 11 congressional districts. Cuccinelli wants the General Assembly to change the requirements. “I don’t think I am going to have to ask,” Cuccinelli said. “I think there there’s going to be a stampede of people who are, frankly, somewhat embarrassed that this is the course things have taken in light of our ballot access rules.”
