Virginia Marked as Potential Nomination-Sealer (ContributorNetwork)

ANALYSIS | In the 2012 race for the presidency, the Commonwealth of Virginia stands poised to become a massively scrutinized indicator of the future direction of the country, as the establishment candidate Mitt Romney and his antithesis, Ron Paul, engage in a primary showdown.

Thanks to the Fourth U.S. Court of Appeals, the other four Republican hopefuls, Jon Huntsman (who has now pulled out of the race), Rick Santorum, Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich, will remain off the ballot, due to failures to comply with ballot access requirements. As such, the Virginia vote becomes ever-important, as the result will greatly impact the process for both Romney and Paul.

Virginia, a state with a highly-decorated military background, is speculated to favor Paul, the only veteran on the ballot. However, the major factor in his surge within the commonwealth is the growing disenfranchisement with the establishment. Paul represents the opposite frame of mind and has brought a more common-sense approach to governing -- a breath of fresh air to many in the political landscape.

With the recent acknowledgement that nearly 84 percent of Americans are disapproving of the current Congress and its legislative habits, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll, the spark of revolutionary thinking Paul has brought to the political table has reached flame-like proportions.

Though many have considered the race to be between the two candidates all along, sources for the remaining candidates claim their runs are far from over. However, looking realistically, Romney and Paul, despite the mainstream media's continued blackout on the latter, are set up to be the final combatants in the Republican battle for supremacy. Virginia, whether they choose to believe so, or not, stands as the decisive battleground. Judging by the results of already-completed primaries, a close result is almost a certainty.

The winner, though not out of the woods, will have more obstacles to hurdle. He who should reach the nomination, in a battle against President Obama (the first Democrat to win Virginia in more than 40 years), will face an intense buffer, as the President has recently sent his campaign troops to begin preparations for another shot at winning the commonwealth. This leaves Virginia, once again, in the spotlight as a driving force behind "Decision 2012."

In a campaign season wrought with controversy, the fact remains that the people of the United States are faced with the most important decision of their lives. Their choice, to remain with the political establishment or to "reboot" the federal government with an outsider, will have intrinsic effects, regardless of the outcome.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120118/pl_ac/10850175_virginia_marked_as_potential_nominationsealer

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