With just over one month to go before the Massachusetts State Primary Elections, on September 9, 2014, candidates and city election officials are gearing up for battles that most voters haven’t even paid any attention to yet.
According to the City of Lynn Elections Office, a couple of upcoming dates are important for local voters to keep in mind, as they end their summer and begin sifting through the candidates for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Treasurer, U.S. Congressman, State Representative and more.
August 20 is the last day to register to vote in the Elections Office at City Hall.
Also, registered voters can begin applying to have absentee ballots sent to them now. All absentee ballots are due back to the Lynn Elections Office by the close of polls on September 9.
There are several contested Democratic primaries.
With the decision by Governor Deval Patrick not to seek a third term, there are five candidates for Governor, including three Democrats seeking their party’s nomination. They include current State Attorney General Martha Coakley and Treasurer Steve Grossman, as well as Donald Berwick.
Meanwhile, Republicans Charlie Baker and Mark Fisher are also locked in a primary race for the Governor’s office. It is the only Republican race on the ballot in Lynn.
In the race to be the next Lieutenant Governor, Leland Cheung, Stephen Kerrigan and Michael E. Lake are all seeking the Democratic nomination in that race.
Democrats Maura Healey and Warren Tolman are vying for the party’s nomination to succeed Martha Coakley as Attorney General and a trio of Democrats are seeking the nomination to be the next Treasurer. The candidates are Thomas Conroy, Barry Finegold and Deborah Goldberg.
U.S. Congressman John Tierney faces a rare Democratic challenge to his seat, in fact there are four Democratic candidates seeking to unseat the incumbent including Marisa DeFranco, Johh Patrick Devine, John Gutta, and Seth Moulton.
Locally, there are three Democrats seeking the nomination to replace former Lynn State Representative Steven Walsh, who stepped down in January. Lynn Councilor-at-Large Brendan Crighton and School Committee member Charlie Gallo are joined in the race by past City Council candidate Aikaterini Panagiotakis Koudanis.