On Tuesday, a Federal Appeals Court ruled against allowing presidential hopefuls Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum spots on the Virginia Republican Primary ballot, saying they knew the rules and simply failed to comply, resulting in their exclusion from the ballot.
Only Mitt Romney and Ron Paul managed to acquire the 10,000 signatures necessary to reserve a position on the ballot.
Gingrich and other GOP hopefuls sued Virginia election officials citing unfair rules that prevented voters from having a comprehensive, inclusive ballot that represented all Republican candidates.
The court believed that by conceding to Perry, Gingrich and Santorum they would be encouraging future candidates to attempt to bypass the prearranged processes, which would create further ambiguity with respect to the nomination process and its rules.
This decision comes as a major blow to the Gingrich campaign, which had previously been relying on a strong finish in the Virginia primary; a state in which Gingrich considered a must-win if he were to have any chance at defeating perennial front-runner Mitt Romney and capturing the Republican nomination.
This decision essentially eliminates all but Mitt Romney and Ron Paul from competing for the coveted GOP nomination.
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