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BY ERIK SHUTE

You're watching multisource political news analysis from Newsy.

Before the GOP race ever kicks off in Virginia, Republican candidates Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry won’t even be at the track. 

Republican Party officials in Virginia have announced that neither Newt Gingrich nor Rick Perry had enough valid signatures to qualify for the state's presidential primary ballot.

And it’s not to say they weren’t trying -- The Wall Street Journal reports...

“The Gingrich and Perry campaigns each filed more than 11,000 signatures Thursday to meet the 10,000-signature requirement, but the party ruled late Friday, after working to verify the petitions, that not enough of the signatures were valid.”

Media outlets seem to focus on the blow to Gingrich’s campaign.  Not only does he live in Virginia, but the Old Dominion state is also the site of his headquarters. Strategist Karl Rove explains to Fox News, Gingrich’s failure highlights his campaign’s lack of organization.

“Well obviously, I'm worried that the people around the speaker not telling him, look, they, he didn't go on the ballot in Missouri, why? Because there are no delegates at stake he says, well, he's the front runner, you can't pick and choose contests... if you're the front runner and you can't run the campaign to meet the deadlines. It's elemental, the fundamental thing you do.”

Gingrich has seen a surge in the polls coming out of Virginia in recent weeks -- but MSNBC explains, he can’t count on popularity when his funding just isn’t there.

“The fact is that this is largely at what has been a larger problem for Newt Gingrich. While he surges in the polls, he trails in money and organization...  I mean, Rick Perry also did not make the ballot and that's really surprising. He has money. He has organizations.”

And one candidate’s failure is another’s success. So who’s coming out ahead?  CNN says...

TJ HOLMES: “And also only two names on the ballot now.”
WOMAN: “Exactly. Mitt Romney and Ron Paul are going to get to divide up that state's 49 delegates. The state, Virginia, allocates its delegates in kind of a complicated way. But, still, the fact is it's now a race between two people in that state.”

Both Perry and Gingrich are expected to challenge the ruling.  A spokesperson for Gingrich says in spite of the quote “failed system,” they’re even willing to launch a “write-in” campaign.

Transcript by Newsy