2 Dozen Candidates Elbow for Room in Mayor's Race

Five weeks ago, there was one declared candidate for mayor. John Connolly had his run of the city while current Mayor Tom Menino weighed his future. Now, fully two dozen men and women have pulled nomination papers for the mayor's race. 

A map of the current list of candidates finds some familiar patterns: Most candidates live toward south and center of the city, matching the city's overall population density. But that means candidates who live a mere blocks apart will tussle over the same turf and base of voter support.

There are 11 candidates from Dorchester, four from Hyde Park, three from Roxbury, two from Roxbury and one each from East Boston, Jamaica Plain and Mission Hill. The top two vote-getters in the primary will move on to the final. 

The Boston Herald's Peter Gelzinis called this a "shootout in a lifeboat" for some off the major candidates, who need a reliable base of support as they reach out for voters in other parts of town. If the 11 Dorchester candidates break up the neighborhood's massive voting bloc, that means the top-two candidates need fewer votes to make the finals. That's a boost for small-neighborhood candidates like JP's Felix Arroyo and Mission Hill's Mike Ross.

There may be more candidates; they have until May 13 to pull papers. After that, the hopefuls have until May 21 to collect signatures and file them with the city. That process will likely winnow the field down by a few names.