It will be interesting to see how many petitions the other candidates file, and when they file them exactly. Meanwhile, congratulations to the McAuliffe campaign for continuing to set the pace in this campaign!McAuliffe Files 17,243 Signatures with State Board of ElectionsUPDATE: Tim Craig reports, "Terry McAuliffe, a Democratic candidate for governor, and Jody W. Wagner, a Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, were the first candidates today to submit the needed petitions to get on the ballot for the June 9 Democratic primary." Craig adds, "Although it is debatable whether it matters whose name appears first on the ballot, the petition drives often are viewed as an early indicator of a campaign's organizational skills."
Today, thanking his volunteers and supporters across the Commonwealth, gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe filed 17,243 signatures with the Virginia State Board of Elections.
"I'm honored by the tremendous outpouring of grassroots support I've received across Virginia," McAuliffe said. "It's critical for us to engage the grassroots and involve as many Virginians as possible in the process of electing our next Governor. I look forward to continuing a positive debate on who has the strongest ideas and best experience to get Virginia's economy back on track."
McAuliffe's signatures were collected by staff and volunteers and completed more than one month ago. His filing follows up on his victory last week in Gerry Connolly's St. Patrick's Day Straw Poll, where he received 58% of the vote. In 2006, the Fairfax straw poll was a watershed moment for now-Senator James Webb's primary campaign.
