Report: Santorum could be ineligible for 18 Ohio delegates

politico.com/ ^ | 3/2/12 | MAGGIE HABERMAN

[VU4G10]

Rick Santorum was already known as starting from a deficit, delegate-wise, in Ohio. He failed to qualify for any district delegates in three Ohio congressional districts because he didn't turn in delegate names there.

But his delegate troubles go deeper. According to the Ohio Republican Party tonight, the former Pennsylvania U.S. senator filed incomplete delegate slates in six additional Ohio districts.

Altogether, this means Santorum, who until this week had a fair lead in polls in the Republican nominating race, could be ineligible for 18 Ohio district delegates.

Ohio has 66 delegates total, 63 at stake next Tuesday. The candidate with the most delegates wins. Santorum therefore goes into the Ohio primary election with a 29 percent deficit.

[omega4179]

Incompetent GOP Biden should withdraw and throw his support behind #NEWTGINGRICH #WITHNEWT

[abercrombie_guy_38]

Newt doesn’t have a prayer outside of Georgia.

[Diogenesis]

How long will it be until we find out
the RULES were changed, or the number of counties
suddenly changed, or somehow or other
Romney and his Legion of Soros-saboteurs were involved.

[bigdirty]

The GOP is rigging the deck for Romney all the way.

[cripplecreek]

While I'm not sure how true this story is, the rules do have a tendency to shift in favor of Romney anywhere its close and it won't be any different for Gingrich or Santorum. Here in Michigan our former AG says it outright, we published the rules and then we voted to change them (the day after the election)

Cox said that according to the MRP rules, Santorum and Romney should each get one of Michigan's two at-large delegates based on their take of the popular vote.

"I supported Mitt, but the vote was clearly wrong," Cox said of the Credentials Committee. "It's kind of like Third World voting. We published rules and then we voted to change the rules."

Because The Narrative Cannot Survive A Rewrite

[kabar]

Santorum is like Newt in this regard. I bet both thought they never would have been in this position when they entered the race. Santorum didn’t even file in DC, which only cost $5,000. Santorum and Newt are not on the ballot in VA.

[bushinohio]

If they can get away with this with Santorum, they'll get away with it with Newt too. This is not about incompetence, this is about depressing Santorum’s vote 3 days before the primary. If Newt starts to surge (big if), they'll come up with some rule to strip him of his delegates too.

[cripplecreek]

If they can get away with this with Santorum, they'll get away with it with Newt too.

Exactly.

[sbMKE]

Incompetence in the Santorum camp. He’d be even worse as President.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks VU4G10.

[deport]

If they can get away with this with Santorum, they’ll get away with it with Newt too. This is not about incompetence, this is about depressing Santorum’s vote 3 days before the primary.

---

Ricky signed and submitted the Ohio Presidential Primary form which was due on Dec. 30, 2011. Other candidates including Gringrich, Paul, Romney, Perry and Huntsman filed will all the delegates listed.

Now to me that is incompetency or a disregard for the rules. Maybe he didn’t know he was short of delegate names or he did but didn’t care, have the time or some other excuse but in the end it was his responsibility as the candidate to meet the requirements as specified.

[OHelix]

Another similarity between Romney and Obama. Didn’t Obama start his political career with defeating getting his opponents disqualified on technicalities?

I suppose all is fair in love and war... and politics is war.

It does ultimately fall back on the candidate to make sure they at least meet the published requirements.

[napscoordinator]

So what Rick. Go for the 40 that you can get. Let’s look at life half full instead of the drones that look at life half empty. An additional 40 delegates would be helpful to the other couple hundred you will get that day.

[JimWayne]

Santorum himself is part of the Establishment and I am not surprised that he contributes to Romney’s victory. Santorum was never in the race to win.

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

It's really high time for a 3rd party FRiend.

The GOP is now the enemy, in legion with the Socialist/Statist Democrats. There is so little difference between any of them anymore.

Boehner hates Newt, and was part of the attempted and failed coup against him in the late ‘90’s. They put on a facade, but in the end, Government keeps growing out of control and we are now Bankrupt.

[Robe]

I just said the exact words to my wife !!!!!
The GOP is taking it's last few breaths as a political party, the corruption is obvious !!!We nee now to start organizing a third party, not to run in this cycle but for the future. We need to get true Conservatives in to the House and Senate

[itsahoot]

The GOP is rigging the deck for Romney all the way.

I am Shocked

So many here think they actually have a choice in this election. They merrily cut, chop and dice their favorites opponents, and all the while the E-Pubs are laughing at our ranting, while they easily rig the outcome.

There will be flocks of minions attracted to this thread to tell us how stupid Santorum was, just like they did over South Carolina. All these rules are designed to limit the little people and so far it is working.

[itsahoot]

but in the end it was his responsibility as the candidate to meet the requirements as specified.

Maybe you recognize these tactics as the ones Obama used, to get elected to the State Senate, got all his opponents disqualified from the ballot.

Do we really want to adopt the Chicago Way in the Republic?

[Kazan]

The only thing that matters in Ohio, as was the case in Michigan, is who wins the popular vote and gains momentum.