McAuliffe, Wagner first to file petitions
The annual political rite of spring has begun as candidates for the various statewide offices started filing their petitions with the state board of elections to gain access to the ballot. Today is the first day that the Board of Elections accepts the petitions, but candidates have until April 10th to get them in.
Terry McAuliffe filed his around 11:45 today in Richmond, filing more than 17 thousand signatures. His campaign claims the petitions have been ready to for over a month. If his petitions are accepted it will mean that he will get the top spot on the ballot for the June primary.
In an0ther competitive statewide Democratic primary, former state finance secretary Jody Wagner was the first to submit her petitions in the race for Lt. Governor. She also submitted more than 17 thousand signatures.
McAuliffe had some stiff competition to get his signatures in first. Brian Moran‘s camp announced yesterday that they were planning to file their petitions today as well, but put out a dispatch this morning that said they had decided to hold off because of an issue with the notarization process. They claim to have more than 16 thousand signature ready to go, but want to make sure that their petitions comply with a change in the law from 2008.
Filing petitions correctly is a tedious and difficult process, but doing it correctly is essential to gaining access to the ballot. Moran’s campaign decided that being right was more important than being first.
We will have to wait until June to see if that first ballot position makes a difference in what promises to be a very tight primary election.
**UPDATE**
Brian Moran has now filed his petitions. He did so a little after 4pm. Moran did submit the more than 16 thousand signatures his campaign said he had collected.
Creigh Deeds has indicated that he will file sometime next week.
[...] Ryan Nobles is reporting at Decision Virginia that Terry McAuliffe was the first to file his petitions for Governor and Jody Wagner was first for Lt. Governor. Upon certification, both will appear first on the ballot in June’s Democratic primary. [...]
McAuliffe and Wagner Are First | Bearing Drift :: Virginia Politics and Podcasts
March 24, 2009 at 6:38 pm
[...] a poo flinging contest at the zoo. After collecting all these signatures, you just now worry that you might have screwed up notarizing them? What the hell happened? Someone at the campaign finally decided, “Hey, maybe we should check [...]
Toots Has His Petitions In - About Time « The Angry Potato
March 25, 2009 at 2:13 am
[...] Deeds now joins former DNC Chair Terry McAuliffe and former Democratic House Leader Brian Moran in what promises to be (and already has been) a competitive and spirited race. (McAuliffe and Moran have already filed) [...]
Deeds files petitions « Decision Virginia
April 6, 2009 at 6:51 pm