Democrats and Republicans hoping to get their names on the ballot for the special U.S. Senate election face a signature-gathering sprint before the close of business Wednesday.
That's the deadline for collecting the 10,000 voter signatures necessary to secure a spot on the April 30 primary ballot.
Candidates typically try to collect more than 10,000 signatures to give themselves a cushion in case not all are certified.
Democratic candidates may only gather signatures from Democratic and independent voters while Republicans may only gather signatures from Republican and independent voters.
More than half of voters in Massachusetts are independent.
Democratic candidates include Congressmen Stephen Lynch and Edward Markey.
Republican hopefuls include Norfolk state Rep. Daniel Winslow and former U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan.
Winslow announced Sunday that his campaign has gathered nearly 25,000 signatures.
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