Former Bush official clears hurdle to join GOP primary ballot in Mass. Senate race

{mosads}His campaign announced late Tuesday night that it will be holding an event to turn in more than the 10,000 signatures required at the Town Clerk’s office in Abington, Mass. Candidates turn in between 15,000 and 20,000 signatures, because a number get thrown out as invalid in the counting.

As recently as Monday, Sullivan’s spokeswoman, Holly Robichaud, had indicated that the campaign wasn’t sure if it would collect the needed signatures.

“It’s going to be a nail-biter up until Wednesday because logistically it’s a lot,” she told the Boston Herald.

Sullivan did not hire a firm to help him collect the signatures, like likely primary opponents Gabriel Gomez and state Rep. Dan Winslow. His late start in the race and a number of winter storms hitting Massachusetts this past month made it difficult, the campaign said, to collect the signatures.

“If we pull this off, it will show the Sullivan campaign has a grassroots organization that can rival the Democrats,” Robichaud added.

Gomez, a local businessman, is kicking off his campaign officially on Thursday, with events in Quincy, Shrewsbury and West Springfield, Mass.

Winslow’s campaign announced last weekend it had amassed nearly 25,000 signatures, and held a thank-you event on Monday.

Republicans will likely see a three-way primary for the chance to challenge the Democratic nominee for Secretary of State John Kerry’s seat. Reps. Edward Markey and Stephen Lynch will battle it out for the Democratic nomination, with the winner of that primary favored to win the seat.