24 Pull Nomination Papers For Boston Mayoral Race

BOSTON (AP) — Two dozen potential candidates to succeed longtime Boston Mayor Thomas Menino have taken out nomination papers.

Menino's announcement in March that he would not seek a sixth term set off a scramble for the office.

City elections officials say 24 prospective candidates met Monday's deadline for pulling nomination papers. But that's only a first step in running for the mayor's office and it's likely that many will fall short of the 3,000 signatures of registered voters needed by next Monday to qualify for the preliminary election in September.

Two candidates have already met the signature threshold: Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley and state Rep. Martin Walsh.

The winner of the November election will become the city's first new mayor since Menino took office in 1993.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.