Virginia requires all presidential primary candidates to submit at least 5,000 signatures. According to this story, the state party is expecting at least twelve candidates to submit petitions. That will be the most crowded Virginia Republican presidential primary ever. The previous record for the Virginia Republican presidential primary was seven candidates in 1988.

Among states that ever required at least 1,000 signatures to get on a presidential primary ballot, the most crowded presidential primary ballot was the Pennsylvania Democratic ballot of 1984, when ten candidates qualified. At that time Pennsylvania required 1,000 signatures. In 1985 the Pennsylvania legislature doubled the requirement to 2,000.