Salem Mayor Earns Spot On State Primary Ballot For Lt. Governor

SALEM, MA — Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll earned a spot on the state Democratic primary ballot in a big way this weekend as the five-term mayor earned the most support of any candidate in her quest to become the commonwealth's next lieutenant governor.

Party rules state that candidates must hit a 15 percent at the state party convention to have their name on the primary ballot in September.

Driscoll not only cleared that hurdle but outpaced the entire five-person lieutenant governor field with 41 percent support.

"I'm honored to continue to earn the support of residents across our commonwealth, and today, to have earned the endorsement of (party delegates) in Worcester," she said following her victory on Saturday. "To our amazing team of volunteers and supporters, together we've built a movement to empower Massachusetts."

Driscoll's success came at the expense of some of her Democratic lieutenant governor rivals, who did not make the 15 percent cut. State Rep. Tami Gouveia and State Sen. Eric Lesser qualified for the ballot, but State Sen. Adam Hinds and former businessman Bret Bero did not.

"My campaign for lieutenant governor ended this weekend at the convention," the Pittsfield senator said on Monday. "I'm genuinely excited to find other ways to fight for the big issues that got me in this race."

Attorney General Maura Healey earned the top spot at the top of the ballot in the governor's race with 71 percent support to 29 percent for State Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz.

Boston NAACP President Tanisha Sullivan earned leading support for secretary of state, former assistant state transportation secretary Chris Dempsey got the edge for auditor and former lieutenant governor candidate Quentin Palfrey earned the edge for attorney general.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)