Gingrich's primary win puts the spotlight on Virginia

By: Aaron Martin | WSLS
Published: January 23, 2012

BLACKSBURG, VA --

Newt Gingrich's 12 point win in South Carolina on Saturday likely means there will be no quick finish to the Republican Presidential Primary.

But for unexpected reasons Virginia could have a big say in who wins the nomination.

Only Mitt Romney and Ron Paul qualified for the Virginia primary ballot..

Despite a lawsuit filed by Texas Governor Rick Perry claiming Virginia’s primary laws are unconstitutional, a federal judge ruled January 13 that no other candidates would be added to the ballot.

"You cannot become the president, much less a Republican president without doing well in the south and we know that Virginia's going to be a major battleground state,” said WSLS Political Analyst Dr. Bob Denton. “So what's interesting is this provides at least an opportunity for Romney."

The Republican Party of Virginia adopted a proportional election model for the 2012 primary, meaning if a candidate gets 40 percent of the vote then he gets 40 percent of the delegates.

But there is a loophole.

If a candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote and wins all 11 congressional districts, then he would be awarded all 46 delegates in the Commonwealth.

A representative from the Republican Party of Virginia added Monday that they didn’t anticipate only two candidates would qualify when they implemented the proportional primary model.

Virginia’s 46 delegates make up less than five percent of the 1,144 needed to win the Republican nomination

But Denton said Gingrich being left off the primary ballot highlights a larger problem for the presidential hopeful.

"There's never this kind of problem that I can recall and in my memory of people (having problems) getting on the ballot,” he said. “You just need the staff and to follow the rules. Clearly Newt didn't have the organization or the proper staff to do so."

Voters in Virginia and nine other Super Tuesday states will cast their ballots March 6.