Santorum’s Campaign Incompetence Continues
Rick Santorum may think that he’s on a roll and the campaign for the GOP nomination runs through him, but his campaign is as disorganized as it gets. He can’t afford to let delegates get away from him, yet there are numerous examples across the country of how he simply has chosen to give the delegates away by not doing the basic ground game to get on ballots to put himself in a position to pick up delegates.
As in Virginia, any state/congressional district where Santorum isn’t on the ballot means one more place where Mitt Romney gets to pick up delegates. Romney got to win the state outright because only he and Ron Paul were on the ballot. Santorum didn’t even contest the state and its 46 delegates. That’s a 92 delegate swing in Romney’s favor.
Doing the math makes each delegate worth two. Plus one for Romney and minus one for Santorum.
As close as things are, Santorum can’t afford giving it away, and yet here he is doing precisely that:
According to Shana Kluck, communications director for the Alabama Republican Party, more than 200 people are running in next Tuesday’s primary to serve as national convention delegates for former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.
A similar number are running to win spots as delegates for Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), followed by former House speaker Newt Gingrich.
Santorum?
Forty-three.
‘He’s missing four spots,’ Kluck said – two spots in the 7th District and two at-large delegate spots – meaning that even if Santorum wins big in the state next week, he won’t be eligible for all of Alabama’s 47 bound delegates.
And then in some places, such as the District of Columbia, Santorum’s camp hasn’t even tried at all.
When Republican voters in the District go to the polls on April 3, they’ll find four names on their primary ballot: Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney … and Jon Huntsman.
There were two ways to get on the ballot in the District. The Romney and Huntsman campaigns both took the first route – submitting a minimum of 296 signatures and a $5,000 fee to the District Republican Party.
The Gingrich and Paul campaigns took the second route – bypassing the petition process and paying $10,000 to the District party.
Santorum’s campaign opted for neither, forfeiting a shot at the District’s 16 delegates up for grabs next month.
Santorum keeps saying that this was due to limited resources, but that’s a smokescreen for the inability to get on the ballot. You can’t run for office without being on the ballot - and Santorum flunks that essential fact.