Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry Off Virginia Ballot; Ron Paul and Mitt Romney On

The Republican Party of Virginia ruled that Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry did not submit the required 10,000 signatures to qualify for that state's GOP presidential primary.

Ron Paul and Mitt Romney will be on the ballot for the March 6 election.

The announcement by the RPV Saturday morning was a particularly big blow to Gingrich, who had held a slim lead over Romney in the latest Quinnipiac poll in the state.

ABC News quoted Gingrich as saying he had enough ballot signatures on Wednesday, and he rushed to Virginia to deliver them personally. But RPV said he fell short.

To qualify for the primary, a candidate's 10,000 signatures must include at least 400 registered voters' names from each of Virginia's 11 congressional districts.

There was no official word on the ballot status of Michele Bachmann, Rick Santorum or Jon Huntsman.