Gingrich Won't Be On Missouri Ballot

Omission not a Team Gingrich fumble, spokesman says
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 24, 2011 2:10 AM CST
Newt Gingrich Won't Be On Missouri Primary Ballot
Newt Gingrich speaks at a town hall meeting in New Hampshire earlier this week.    (AP Photo/Cheryl Senter)

Newt Gingrich is riding high in the polls but you won't find his name on the ballot for Missouri's Republican primary in February. Gingrich, unlike the other seven leading GOP candidates and three lesser-known ones, didn't file the necessary paperwork by this week's deadline. Convention delegates aren't won in the Feb. 7 primary—those are chosen by caucuses in March—but Missouri's primary is the only one in the country between Jan. 31 and Feb. 28 and can help candidates maintain momentum, the Los Angeles Times notes.

A campaign spokesman says the omission was deliberate, claiming the campaign decided not to spend the $1,000 filing fee to take part in a non-binding contest. "We do elections where you can actually win delegates, we don’t participate in beauty contests," he said. Asked why all Gingrich's rivals are taking part in the contest, he responded, "That’s what happens when you pay lawyers by the hour, they’ll get you on the ballot anywhere, even the ones you’re not supposed to be." (More Missouri stories.)

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