Federal Judge Rules Against Challenge to Virginia Primary Ballot

                                                

Mitt and Ron, very interesting, especially if Ron is still in there fighting. Do you think there will be a lot of write-ins....?

By Ethan Klapper

Updated: January 13, 2012 | 4:20 p.m.
January 13, 2012 | 4:08 p.m.

A federal judge on Friday ruled against a lawsuit brought by Texas Gov. Rick Perry that challenged Virginia's ballot access laws. If the ruling stands, it will be a two-way race between Mitt Romney and Ron Paul for Virginia's delegates.

Judge John Gibney of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia said that Perry, as well as Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman, and Rick Santorum may not appear on Virginia's March 6 primary ballot after those candidates failed to collect the 10,000 signatures required to appear on the ballot.
Gibney wrote that the candidates simply waited too long to request an injunction.
"The Commonwealth is far along in the electoral process," he wrote. "The primary election is so close that the plaintiffs cannot gather the requisite signatures to get on the ballot."
"Had the plaintiffs filed a timely suit, the Court would likely have granted preliminary relief," he added.