Matt Lewis & The News

According to a release, Texas Gov. Rick Perry “has filed suit in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia challenging the constitutional validity of the Virginia statute which regulates access to the ballot by presidential candidates and limits the rights of voters to vote for the candidate of their choice.”

You can see the filing here.

“Gov. Perry greatly respects the citizens and history of the Commonwealth of Virginia and believes Virginia Republicans should have greater access to vote for one of the several candidates for President of the United States,” said Perry campaign communications director Ray Sullivan.

This strikes me as a gutsy move. One one hand, Perry risks being accused by critics of not respecting “state’s rights” or of engaging in a “frivolous” lawsuit. On the other hand, Virginia’s rules are onerous. And not only might this garner Perry some much-needed publicity, but it also signals that — with just one week to go until the Iowa caucuses — Perry remains serious about contesting the GOP nomination long after Iowa and New Hampshire. (In other words, he’s in it to win it.)