E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSFormer Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum hopes to make a strong showing on Super Tuesday to prove he has staying power in the Republican nominating race, but his campaign’s failure to meet filing requirements in Ohio and Virginia means Santorum will not compete for at least 55 of the delegates at stake Super Tuesday.
Along with former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, Santorum failed to meet filing requirements to get on Virginia’s primary ballot. He will forego competing for all of Virginia’s 46 delegates at stake on Super Tuesday.
In Ohio, Santorum did not file slates of delegates in three of the state’s 16 congressional districts. Two of the districts are the sixth and 13th districts, both close Santorum’s home region of western Pennsylvania.
The way Ohio’s delegate allocation system works, its 66 delegates are split into three categories: 48 congressional district delegates, 15 at-large delegates, and three Republican National Committee delegates who remain unpledged. The 15 At-Large delegates are awarded proportionally based on the statewide vote, with candidates needing a minimum of 20% of the vote to be eligible for delegates. The 48 congressional district delegates are split up among the state’s 16 districts, with three delegates per district. For those delegates, all three of a district’s delegates are awarded to the winner of that district’s vote. With Santorum ineligible for congressional district delegates in three districts, he will not compete for a combined nine delegates.
In addition, Santorum did not file full slates of delegates in a handful of other districts. In the third, fourth, eighth, 10th, 12th, and 16th districts, Santorum is missing a combined total of nine delegates. But if Santorum wins those districts, he will not necessarily automatically be ineligible for the delegates he is missing.
According to an Ohio GOP source, if Santorum wins the district-wide vote in congressional districts, where he submitted fewer than three delegates, he will get however many delegates he submitted. The leftover delegates will remain unallocated until one of the campaigns brings a contest. The campaigns will make their case for the delegates to a three-person Contest Committee appointed by state Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine. Ultimately, the Contest Committee will make a recommendation to the state’s 66 person Central Committee, which will vote to determine the final allocation of the unallocated delegates.
The prospect of a contested group of delegates comes amidst an acrimonious fight over Michigan’s two at-large delegates. In a meeting after last week’s primary, the Michigan Republican Party determined that the state’s two at-large delegates would both go to Mitt Romney, despite previous statements by the party that the two delegates would be split proportionally.
Santorum also failed to file a full slate of delegates in Tennessee, but Adam Nickas, a spokesman for the state GOP, says Santorum will still get all the delegates he earns on primary night. If Santorum does not have enough names on his slate for the number of delegates he wins, says Nickas, the state party will fill the slots afterward in consultation with the Santorum campaign.
Today the Romney campaign seized on the failures in an attempt to paint the Santorum campaign as unfit for the organizational rigors of a long campaign. In a series of memos and conference calls, the Romney campaign highlighted not only Santorum’s setbacks in Virginia and Ohio, but a failure to get on the ballot in the District of Columbia, an incomplete delegate slate in Illinois, and the lack of a full delegate slate in Tennessee, another Super Tuesday state.
In a conference call with reporters, Romney National Counsel Ben Ginsberg said the ballot failures show Santorum is not organizationally equipped to face President Obama in the fall.
“Getting on the ballot … is a true test, especially for Republican primary voters to look at, whether a candidate’s ready for primetime,” Ginsberg said. “What’s evident from what’s going to happen on Super Tuesday and beyond, is that Rick Santorum flunks that test.”
Today the Santorum campaign responded, saying the campaign is more about message than organization and infrastructure.
"The Romney campaign is just throwing another temper tantrum, because they're a little confused and frustrated as to why they can’t buy this election,” Santorum Communications Director Hogan Gidley said in an email to NBC News today. “This election is not about who has the most money -- or who has the most infrastructure. It’s about electing a president who inspires and believes in the American people instead of the government control.”
NBC’s Andrew Rafferty contributed to reporting.
Leave a Comment:
The current crop of clowns couldn't organize a ONE freakin car funeral, if their VERY lives depended on it!
Stick a fork in these turkeys they are more then DONE!
"The current crop of clowns couldn't organize a ONE freakin car funeral" ... and if they did, they would probably put the hearse in a ditch.
Santorum must have been home-schooled by chimps if he thinks the American people are on his side. There just aren't enough crazies in the asylum to vote this loser into office. Damn.
It was mentioned the republicans have no ideas...ohhhh but they do. Privatize Social security and put the money into wallstreet so they can have all your money. Privatize medicare so it can go to corporations for more Ceos to take the rest of your money, privatize the post office so small towns lose all mail for their business and homes giving more ceos and corporations the rest of the money they have not taken from you. Give the rich even more tax breaks while feeding you the line that the rich are job creators...really? They vote to keep billions of dollars in subsidies to big oil, they vote to give big tax breaks to big oil, they vote against giving companies in America tax breaks and vote to keep tax breaks for the companies going overseas. They vote to keep money in fake companies offshore to avoid paying taxes. They voted against giving healthcare to the 911 responders who are now with cancer and other health problems, they lowered vets benefits, they did not fund Afgan war or Iraq war and leave it to dems to clean up mess, they destroy the economy with the greed of bankers, they created the corporations are people too with the change in republican Supreme court. They killed thousands of our soldiers and wounded thousands more with lies of mass destruction in order to give Cheney company war profits with no bid contracts. The cost of all the war dead and wounded is never ending for all the treatment they need and the destruction of many families with so many troops serving numerous trips back to Iraq and Afgan. They gave up on killing Bin Laden. This list is never ending.......Yes the republicans have a plan, to take away voting rights with voter id laws on the elderly, poor and students because they tend to vote dems. They have a plan based on greed for the rich. The plan is to get all the money. They already took over the government with corp[orations are people. Really? Ever see a corporation bleed and die like our soldiers.........and you want to vote republican?..........really?
POLITICO — A fractured party. Tales of sharp-elbowed politics spilling into the news. A prolonged public spectacle pitting prominent Republicans against each other. And that was before the GOP presidential circus arrived.
OHIO, it seems, isn’t just Super Tuesday’s biggest prize. It’s also the scene of an unseemly intra-party brawl that has drawn in high-ranking elected officials, lobbyists and operatives throughout the state.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0312/73575.html
Can't help but think about 'Fractured Fairy Tales' every time I see the word 'fractured'.
(Sorry, Dennis, but I couldn't help myself.)
The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show! Loved it!
"Nothin' up my sleeve." <rrrrriiipppp>
"Hmm, better get a new hat . . ."
"Look, Bullwinkle, a message in a bottle." "A message from some flounder?"
You and me, both, phine. I was in the 'peanut galley' on the local TV 'clown show' when I was about 7 or 8 (don't remember how old), and remember that I was upset that I could not hear the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon. The clown wouldn't shut up when the cartoon was on.
What was the name of the university? I LOVED that show. I think I'll buy the series on DVD (or BluRay, or whatever).
I think it was Wossamatta University. Been a few years! LOL!
Do you remember Mr. Peabody and Sherman?
You're right . . . I think. I absolutely remember them. Remember, "Help me Mr. Wizard! I don't wanna be here anymore."? How about Boris, and Natashya? Did you know William Conrad was the narrator? I loved the puns on the 'upcoming episodes', too.
It was, and still is one of my all time favorite shows. It was definitely an 'adult' cartoon, that kids could love, too.
Ron Paul wants a pony, a train, and a new baseball glove. Santorum wants to wear the popes funny pointed hat in parades. Romney wants whatever everyone else wants...3 hrs later. Newt wants everyones wife.
.
"Faiure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part."
Did we learn nothing from 4 years ago?
4 years ago, Hillary Clinton, it seems, expected to be the nominee after Super Tuesday and had no game plan when Barack Obama was still in the race. Some of us pointed out then that the campaign is a microcosm of your administration...as you run your campaign, so, one can extrapolate, you will run your presidency.
Hillary Clinton was not prepared to run a primary campaign after Super Tuesday and for that she lost the nomination.
Now it's Rick Santorum's turn. Oh, sure, he'll give you excuses...that his problems in Ohio are from a time when he wasn't a contender and couldn't bring in people or money. That's the point...if you couldn't get it organized from the moment you anounced your candidacy then what kind of leader are you?
Well, actually, Mr. Santorum, thanks to the
corrupt and ineptfine justices who decided Citizens United, yeah, it kinda is about who has the most money. Maybe you should take this up with them.And this man wants to be President? Seriously? This is all very basic stuff, and he's blowing it.
Just like you can't win the lottery if you don't buy a ticket, you can't win an election if you don't register according to the rules.
Interestingly, the one Republican/TP Inc. candidate that has done everything right to get on all of the ballots, and has the best organization (but still not qualified to be President of the United States), is the one the people of the Republican/TP Inc. party do not seem to want.
This primary promises to be infamous, and talked about for a veeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyy looooooooooong time.
Matthew,
I honestly think that both Santorum and Gingrich didn't think they would be in the race this long. And Romney should be organized - he has been running for president forever!
You're correct, phine. 'Success loves preparation' is obviously something they don't know about. It is also something that a good leader follows, religiously, if they want to succeed.
If either of these men are elected, rthe nation will suffer. Gingrich has sold his soul to Israel by accepting all the money from Adelman of Las Vegas to stay in the race. That he would appoint Bomb thrower John Bolton as his Secretay of State should scare the H*ll out of everyone. We would be at war against Iran within six months after he is sworn in. The only thing to be said for Santorum,"Is he running for President or Pope". The Citizens United ruling has allowed enough money to flow to keep the circular firing squad going.
So there is an upside: the entertainment continues longer, and a bunch of rich people throw away a bunch of money. The other upside is that the people have woken up because of this primary, and are refusing to vote the way the money is telling them to vote.
Ultimately, this Republican/TP Inc. party primary debacle could prove to be a good thing. It looks like the wealthy have drastically overreached this time, and 'the people' are noticing.
Honestly, this article depresses me. If Santorum can't get his crap together, how will we ever be able to enjoy him winning the nomination and making a fool out of himself debating Obama? He's been a source of endless entertainment this whole time, and I for one am rooting for him to win the nomination. Liberals and Democrats need to start donating money to his campaign NOW. Switch parties so you can vote for him in your respective states. Remember, a vote for Santorum means a vote for Obama being president another four years! Besides, after the 2008 election, I just don't think I can watch another election cycle that isn't a circus freak show.
Don't say, "Vote for the one easiest to beat." Remember, Rick Scott won in Fla.
i hope santorum is facing delegate woes. he is not about anything. he is all about being a good cathloic, a family man, and other moral issues. all these thing are good, but what does any of that have anything to do with helping the country? romney is the one that knows how to help this country the most.
Big Government is not the problem! What “the few” take costs this country far more than all of the programs to help the majority. Faulting government spending and taxes and advocating as desperate the need for “smaller government” is the con that seeks to deceptively justify the return to “more of the same”, Bush-Cheney style, that will just perpetuate the real problems. “The money”, with their power, influence and their mega-millions, seeks to aggressively use all of their efforts to con the people and manipulate public opinion into supporting the continual pushing of America into being a two-class society with “the few” (1%) competing in having it all and the majority (99%) struggling to survive - any doubt, just check “the few’s” progress in feeding their insatiable “more” (never enough) appetite and the growing spread between the very wealthy and the majority.
Checking spending, lowering taxes and keeping government small are all worthwhile goals ... but they won’t solve our problems as they don’t address what caused the drastic problems - they instead are just “smoke” to excite and cover a return to “more of the same”. In contrast, there is even real merit in advocating government spending and in raising taxes to responsibly address the current problems and then what really caused the problems is the irresponsible mentality that says government should focus on serving the interests of “the few”, regardless of what it costs. Politicians seeking the strong support of “the money” have become it’s “puppets” and in putting their political ambitions (and own greed) above all else, are irresponsibly serving only “the few”. What cost this country so much is the run-away greed, self-indulgence and gross dishonesty of “the few”, allowed by a permissive co-responsible government catering to those limited interests, resulting in the continual crises experienced in savings and loans, banks, dot.coms, the investment, mortgage and banking industries, in corporate corruption (like Enron) and in total industry failures. Who would deny that government policies have actually facilitated the loss of American jobs, taxes along with them and just placated the interests of “the few” at substantial cost to “the many”.
When the people clearly see that reality, then it becomes easy to recognize the con in all that is constantly offered to rationalize the costly continuation. There is an aggressive and substantial effort going on to deceive the people, sway people’s thinking and to manipulate public opinion into supporting “more of the same” that greatly benefits “the few”. “The money” literally has their way with the Republican / Tea Party and the Democrats are less than perfect, so what are the voters to do? It has been said that the current Republican Party, being owned and controlled by “the money”, are really incapable of ever responsibly governing ... and the last twelve years have fully substantiated that. The only way to get “the money” out of politics, which they will aggressively fight, is to render it ineffective. What is required is for the people to reject the propaganda that seeks to control them, become insulted for being taken for granted, objectively and rationally vote their consciences and thereby dump all of “the money’s” “puppet” politicians. Then and only then will the people have a real chance.
Starve the beast and lead the sheep......Make making money the only thing valuable to people. Whip 'em Sarah, whip 'em Rick, whip 'em Newt, whip 'em GOPeeps...Keep them in the shaft....make too much noise for them to hear the slaughter chamber at the end......just keep the oil and caviar coming....oh, and cue the protitutes and coke dealer....We gonna parrrrrty up in here! Let them eat cake!
rick you must be the wprst "snob and moron " .... you and your campagian cannot even organise letalone run a country.... if you were elected you and your people will be dealing with one state at a time.. and one country at a time... while the rest will watch how you play and do and have time to plan counter attack you.... we do not need this kind of person to run the best country in the world