S Senate candidate Jack E. Robinson III inched closer to meeting the 10,000-signature requirement necessary to land him a place on the ballot this fall, as certified signatures continued to trickle in from municipal clerks across the state.
By late afternoon, clerks had certified about 9,950 signatures, Secretary of State William F. Galvin said. That number is almost certain to rise, because some cities and towns may still be in the process of certifying signatures. And two communities, Nahant and Rowley, turned their signatures over to Robinson without telling the secretary of state's office how many they had certified.
''At this point it's hard to say whether he's reached the 10,000 point or not,'' Galvin said. ''It does appear that he is gradually moving forward to the minimum number of certified signatures.''
Despite that prospect, the beleaguered candidate still faces a series of hurdles to get his name on the ballot, Galvin said. Challenges from party officials and ordinary citizens could disqualify some of his signatures, as could a 1999 Supreme Judicial Court ruling that knocks out signature sheets with stray marks or incomplete information.
''In most instances, this is not fatal,'' Galvin said. ''In his instance, it could be.''
Still, Robinson and his five-member campaign staff are ''ready to fight,'' communications director Ian Bayne said yesterday. They have retained a lawyer in the event of challenges to the signatures' veracity, and could issue a counterchallenge to attempt to certify some signatures deemed illegible by local clerks.
''Jack is prepared to defend his signatures with as much legal action as he needs to take,'' Bayne said. ''He's willing to spend the money to make sure he gets on the ballot.''
Robinson has already spent $100,000 to get the signatures, many of which were collected by paid gatherers working for Powderhouse Political Consultants, a Somerville-based group. Incumbent Senator Edward M. Kennedy has gathered about 39,000 signatures for his campaign, while Libertarian candidate Carla Howell has slightly more than 18,000, Galvin said.
Amid another day of speculation over whether Robinson would hit the 10,000 mark, aides to Kennedy said they would not issue a challenge to the signatures, while Massachusetts Democratic Party Chairman Mark White would not comment on whether the party would do so.
But if Robinson scrapes by with just over the necessary number, he could leave himself vulnerable to challenge, Galvin said.
Meanwhile, Robinson has continued to canvass the state, attending town Republican meetings, picking up the signature sheets from local clerks' offices, and handing them over to Galvin's office by June 6. Opponents have through June 9 to issue any challenges.
Since launching his candidacy, Robinson has faced questions about his past, including a drunken-driving arrest 15 years ago that resulted in dropped charges and a restraining order by a former girlfriend who alleged sexual misconduct. The bad publicity and his criticism of state Republican Party chairman Brian Cresta have left him without the party's backing. But he pushes forward.
''Our campaign is strictly to run Jack for US Senate,'' Bayne said. ''We're not in there to do anything with the GOP. Every time he gets out there, he's very well-received, and that's the kind of campaign we'd like to run.''
