Wacky Presidential Primaries; Part 2

Yesterday we posted a beginning to zany, wacky things going on in the Presidential Primaries. I figured this would be a series going on into or past the general election. Little did I realize that Part Two would be the next day.

The State of Georgia challenged Obama’s eligibility to be on the ballot. Obama was issued a subpoena which he ignored. Judge Halihi ruled that Obama’s birth certificate is valid. Secretary of State Brian Kemp ruled on February 11, 2012 that Obama may appear on Georgia’s ballot because the birth certificate Obama presented is valid and that he is a natural born citizen.

Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich both failed to qualify for the Virginia primary ballot. This was not due to the 10,000 signature threshold, but due to the 400 signatures required in each of Virginia’s congressional districts. Perhaps Ron Paul and Mitt Romney signed all the registered Republicans in Alexandria?

Rick Santorum was told on February 3 that challenges to signatures on his Indiana filing left him 8 votes short of enough to qualify to be on the ballot. There is a legal question of write-in.

If Indiana and Virginia supporters of Rick Santorum are not allowed to write his name in, then their best strategy is to vote for Ron Paul. That would take delegates away from Mitt Romney and give them to a candidate who has no chance of winning.

Anticipating this strategy, some members of the RNC announced today that if the convention is brokered, that is no one wins on the first ballot, they would “look to someone else.” If Mitt Romney loses Michigan (likely, probable) and stays in the race (also likely, probable) and neither Newt Gingrich or Ron Paul support one of the two leaders, then a brokered convention is expected.