Santorum fails to qualify for Indiana ballot

Rick Santorum might be left off the ballot in the Indiana primary, giving the former Pennsylvania senator fewer chances to claw his way back into contention for the Republican presidential nomination.

Santorum fell 24 signatures short of the 500 needed from the 7th congressional district, where Indianapolis is located, according to county voter registration officials speaking to WIBC.

Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul are all expected to qualify for the ballot. Santorum could mount a legal challenge or appeal to the Federal Election Commission, although it is unclear how successful such a campaign would be.

Indiana is not the first state in which Santorum failed to qualify for the ballot. In Virginia, only Paul and Romney made the cut, prompting an unsuccessful lawsuit from Rick Perry’s now-defunct campaign.

Indiana won’t vote until May 8, at which time it is widely expected that the GOP nomination will be sewn up. Still, a late Santorum or Gingrich surge would be reliant on picking up delegates in later-voting states.

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