Rick Santorum Campaign Expects To Qualify For Indiana Primary Ballot

INDIANAPOLIS — An Indiana elections official said Monday that GOP presidential contender Rick Santorum still lacks the signatures needed to make it onto the state's May primary ballot.

Santorum has questioned Marion County's decision to throw out 49 signatures. But Cindy Mowery, Republican member of Marion County Board of Voter Registration, said the signatures are still invalid.

"I don't think any of these signatures that they brought in matter," Mowery said. As of Monday afternoon, Mowery said she had not done a thorough review of the signatures, but she said she talked with Santorum campaign lawyers in the morning and based on their arguments decided the county's earlier decision to disqualify him for the ballot would likely stand.

The number of contested signatures would be enough to put Santorum on Indiana's ballot.

Republican Indiana state Sen. Mike Delph, a Santorum supporter, said the campaign is not giving up, despite Mowery's determination.

"I don't believe so, not by any stretch of the imagination," he said. Supporters would run a write-in campaign in Indiana as a last-ditch option, Delph said.

Statewide candidates in Indiana, from president to governor, all have to collect 500 valid signatures from registered voters in each of the state's nine congressional districts to appear on the May 8 ballot.

Marion County officials decided last week that Santorum was 24 votes shy of the 500 needed in the state's 7th District.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Texas Rep. Ron Paul and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney all qualified for the ballot.

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Comments

[RemarkingMark]

12:32 AM on 02/07/2012

Didn't the Secretary of the State just get thrown out of office for voter fraud? All this time the Republicans have been touting voter fraud against Acorn, and it turns out they were the ones committing this offense. Like they say. Be careful what you wish for.

[ursasr]

08:40 PM on 02/06/2012

it seems he like newt in virginia never considered that some signatures might be invalid. it also seems his entire campaighn consists of --=== it says in the bible ====.

[Jerry Patrone]

08:33 PM on 02/06/2012

As insignificant and annoying as Santorum is, I'm glad he's staying in the race as he is spending money given to him, and that is good for the economy.

[cclawnj]

06:39 PM on 02/06/2012

So what if Santorum does get on the ballot? He's a dead man walking. In Florida and Nevada, conservatives, tea party people and even evangelicals voted overwhelmingly for Mitt Romney. This trend will continue, and rightly so.

[dagstock]

05:48 PM on 02/06/2012

What for? Mitt's gonna win big.

[fendergr]

05:25 PM on 02/06/2012

Is there enough kkk groups in Indiana to make it worth the effort?

[Sethjj1975]

05:25 PM on 02/06/2012

Santorum's brand of crazed hatred will play well in the Hoosier State.

[raddison4x]

06:31 PM on 02/06/2012

Crazed hatred? Where did you get that from? He is the far from "crazed" or "filled with hate". He is a very mild, mannered man. He has stayed out of all the other nonsense and just wants to get his message out there. Your post is rude and uncalled for.

That just proves how you all you pay to post people have no clue what you are talking about.

[Sethjj1975]

07:26 PM on 02/06/2012

As a gay man in America I can say nothing about his continuous attacks on me and mine can be considered mild mannered. I'm not sure what your reference to "pay to post" means but I assume it's some conspiracy theory drummed up by the delusional Right, and the only thing rude and uncalled for here is your willful ignorance.

[lawa]

09:46 PM on 02/06/2012

that still wont get him the blah vote

[kitc1981]

04:56 PM on 02/06/2012

Great, now we have the fourth place finisher.

[raddison4x]

06:32 PM on 02/06/2012

Hate to break it to you but Obama is also the 1%.

[kitc1981]

08:29 PM on 02/06/2012

And your point is? He has no problem paying his fair share of taxes. The Obama's paid 26% in federal income tax and another 8% in Illinois state tax. They also gave $245,000, about 14% to charity. But you are right, maybe I should amend my microbio to correctly refer to Mitt as the .00001 percent.

[oakspondman]

04:47 PM on 02/06/2012

Why does Rick even try. He is done.

Obama 2012

[spongeworthy06]

05:12 PM on 02/06/2012

There is big money in being a candidate. He will demand larger speaking fees etc.

[nnealj1]

04:41 PM on 02/06/2012

Goes to show that if all states were to set the bar low enough, even someone like Santorum qualifies to run....this presidential run is Santorum's last time to shine in politics...he might as well impress the entire country with just how much he deserved to be run out of politics in Pennsylvania...he's doing just fine, just fine....

[raddison4x]

06:35 PM on 02/06/2012

Let's see, he was a successful Sentor and is a lawyer with a license. Obama had 120 days as a senator, taught Acorn how to bully people, and lost his law license. Well, had to surrender it. So now tell me why Obama was more qualified then Santorum?

[Jerry Patrone]

08:36 PM on 02/06/2012

As I recall, Santorum was defeated for re-election. That is not what I would call successful. Why is Obama more qualified? Because he has common sense. Santorum has no clue.

[mac2jr]

01:11 AM on 02/07/2012

Obama was a two-term State Senator before becoming a member of Congress, he was also an attorney and a Community Organizer (which we need since America is a community of mixed people).

ACORN was a crime since the Republicans ended a great organization that committed no crime or voter fraud, and if FACT were the ones that turned in two people that were committing voter fraud. Now the Republicans are going to try and destroy PP, SS, Medicare, Food Stamps, Medicaid, Welfare, UE, and every other Social Safety Net we have for the working person.

You need to go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Santorum to see why you should NOT elect Sanitorium and to

http://whattheheckhasobamadonesofar.com/

http://my.barackobama.com/Iowa-Four-Years-Later

http://www.washcodems.org/sites/washington.oregondemocrats.org/files/OFAPromises­Kept.pdf to see why Obama is more qualified.

[deltanan]

04:39 PM on 02/06/2012

The more talk about the disgusting Republicans, the more votes for Obama.

[jnesteljr]

04:13 PM on 02/06/2012

You R's should be rallying behind this guy. At least he tows the party line and votes with his convictions no matter how off the wall I think they are.

Why vote for Romney when he does not vote with the party but wichever way the beneficial political winds are blowing.

If he thinks Romneycare will get him the votes he votes for that.

If he thinks lobbyists will get him the votes he votes their views.

The problem is we don't know what he is about other than a lot of money and firing people!!

[fxcnyc]

04:05 PM on 02/06/2012

ricky, go home, game over.

[sls38411]

03:58 PM on 02/06/2012

He needs to go away, far, far away. Take you upteen kids and your antiquated ideas and maybe Newt will take you with him to the moon.

[votethirdparty]

03:48 PM on 02/06/2012

If Goldwater was still alive he would shoot Santorum for making all Republicans look like fools.

[coach5532]

04:09 PM on 02/06/2012

And if LBJ were alive today he would take Obama out to the middle of a swamp and leave himfor the gators.

[Voivode Vlad]

04:58 PM on 02/06/2012

I guess you missed where it was Lyndon B. Johnson who put the presidential signature to the 1964 Civil Rights Act, huh?

[Guy Fratianni]

06:21 PM on 02/06/2012

A micro of no more lies yet LBJ is the one who sent the FBI after the Klan and put the presidential signature on the Civil Rights act. No more lies? You should be ashamed.

[nnealj1]

04:42 PM on 02/06/2012

This year, making Republicans look like fools was pretty easy...they did it to themselves....