Know how many primaries or caucuses in the south Romney won in 2008?

[NNN0LHI]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Results_of_the_2008_Republican_presidential_primaries

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[Muskypundit]

1. It will be interesting to see who wins the south this year

I can't see romney.... But with no huckabee, who knows?

[aaaaaa5a]

2. This is why Romney and Paul being alone on the ballot in Virginia is such a big deal

Virginia is a state Romney likely would not have won against Perry or Gingrich.


Southern politics continues to this day to be very prejudicial. Of course the racial angle to deep southern politics is well known and deeply etched into the fabric and history of our country. But have you guys noticed how poorly white men from the North, run in the South?

This is Romney's problem. He doesn't have enough "twang" in his voice, or rural southern mannerisms to appeal to southern voters.


As a Republican Romney can run as a Mormon and win in a state like Massachusetts. But there is no way a Mormon would ever be elected Governor of a state like Alabama, Mississippi or South Carolina. The progress, education, diversity and tolerance difference between the left and the right is stunning. And this fact becomes very apparent even in a Republican primary where everyone is touted as a conservative.

If I recall, Bill Clinton and Al Gore had no trouble reaching voters in the North despite being from the South.

In a way, that map is really sad. It shows we still have a long way to go before everyone can be truly treated based "on the content of their character". And, yes.... this is especially true in the South.

[Old and In the Way]

3. Paul couldn't even carry Texas in his primary.

Tells you a lot about the current crop o'clowns. The fact that only 2 could even qualify for the Virginia primary ought to be making the GOP think about why they can't the majority of their candidates qualified. 10,000 valid voters doesn't seem like a particularly aggressive bar to get over.

[aaaaaa5a]

4. I think the issue wasn't the number of signatures.

If I'm not mistaken, in Virginia each candidate must have at least 400 signatures per county (or maybe district) to qualify. Under the rules, you could have a million signatures, but if you only have 399 in one small rural area instead of 400, you are disqualified.


While I'm no fan of Gingrich, Perry or the GOP, there is a larger issue at play here. It is TOO DARN HARD and complicated to get on ballots. This prevents a major 3rd party from challenging the status quo. And it has become so difficult, even mainstream Presidential candidates can't get on the ballot in some states.


I believe Gingrich is not on the ballot in Missouri either.

[Old and In the Way]

5. But apparently most of the candidates got on the ballot on 2008.

I was reading the FReakout today on this and someone posted this-

In 2008, McCain, Huckabee, Paul, Romney, Thompson, and Giuliani got on the ballot with the latter three suspending their campaign prior to the primary. This conspiracy nonsense is a bit tiresome. The ones responsible for not getting on the ballot are the candidates, not the rules.

I don't know if the rules changed a lot from 2008, but ultimately it was a problem getting people to sign petitions. That should be the meta-question that Teapublicans should be asking themselves...how do 5 of 7 of their candidates fail to get 10,000 people to sign their petitions?