Noah Bierman, Boston Globe, May 20, 2010 On the rain-slicked steps of the State House, long shot gubernatorial candidate Grace Ross yesterday ended her bid for the Democratic nomination after failing to gather enough signatures to make the ballot. The announcement was not a surprise, with Ross acknowledging in recent days that she might fall short of the 10,000 certified voter signatures she needed to qualify. On Tuesday, Secretary of State William F. Galvin, whose Elections Division has been monitoring the certification progress by city and town officials, told the Globe that Ross had only about 5,700 names. ... Lacking

WATD-FM, May 19, 2010 Potential rival Grace Ross has fallen short of the signatures needed to challenge Governor Deval Patrick in the September Democratic primary. The Worcester community activist made the announcement Wednesday that she failed to garner the necessary names to join Patrick on the ballot. She needed the signatures of 10,000 registered voters to do so. If Ross had obtained them, it would have meant that Patrick would be forced to fend off a fellow Democrat before he has a chance to focus on Republican Charles Baker, independent Timothy Cahill and Green-Rainbow Party candidate Jill Stein in the November general election.

Jen Thomas, Waltham Daily News Tribune, May 19, 2010 Watertown - The candidates for governor of Massachusetts showed up for a disability issues forum, but it was the state of the economy that ended up taking center stage. Before the issues affecting residents with disabilities can be addressed, the state needs to find stable financial footing, the five candidates for governor told a standing room only crowd at the Perkins School for the Blind on Tuesday. ... Economy

Associated Press, May 19, 2010 Boston - The 2010 Massachusetts gubernatorial race came into sharp focus today, as a potential Democratic candidate failed to qualify for the ballot and the fall campaign winnowed to a four-way field: incumbent Governor Deval Patrick, Republican Charles Baker, independent Timothy Cahill and Green-Rainbow Party candidate Jill Stein. Worcester community activist Grace Ross announced she had failed to collect the necessary 10,000 signatures to qualify for a September primary showdown with Patrick, a fellow Democrat seeking a second term. Barring any write-in candidates, that means the fall campaign has begun, with the field set for the November 2 election.

She does not have enough signatures. Frank Phillips, Boston Globe, May 19, 2010 Grace Ross, the social activist and Governor Deval Patrick’s only possible competition for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, is “in serious doubt’’ of making the primary ballot because of her failure to gather enough certified voter signatures, according to the state’s chief election officer. Secretary of State William F. Galvin, whose Elections Division has been monitoring the certification progress by city and town officials, said Ross has about 5,700 signatures, well short of 10,000 that she needs to qualify for the September 14 primary election. ... Ross

Boston Globe, May 17, 2010 The five candidates in this fall’s governor’s race will each participate in a forum on disability issues Tuesday at the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown. “Disability issues do not get much attention during most campaigns,” Steven Rothstein, CEO of the Perkins School, said in a press release. “Having an opportunity to present our issues and get a response from candidates this early in the campaign is a leg up for the whole community.” Incumbent Deval Patrick (Democrat), Grace Ross (Democrat) Charles Baker (Republican), Treasurer Tim Cahill (Independent), and Jill Stein (Independent) will all participate in the event ... Governor

Grace Ross for Governor, May 12, 2010

Rasmussen in its most recent poll reported the following results in this year's gubernatorial race:

In a four-way race with Grace Ross as the Democratic nominee: Charlie Baker (R) 32%; Grace Ross (D) 27%; Tim Cahill (I) 16%; Not sure 25%. Grace Ross had 24% favorable and 27% unfavorable with 49% of respondents still unsure.

WBZ, May 12, 2010 Boston - Six months to go in the governor's race and a new poll shows Governor Deval Patrick has a comfortable lead over Republican Charlie Baker and independent Tim Cahill. A Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely voters in the state finds Patrick has gained ground over the past month and now earns 45% of the vote in his bid for re-election. That’s a 10-point jump from a month ago and the Democratic incumbent’s best showing in surveys stretching back to June of last year. ... Patrick

WBUR, May 5, 2010 Boston - Grace Ross’s spot on the Democratic primary ballot for governor isn’t certain yet. Hoping to challenge incumbent Governor Deval Patrick, she says she submitted more than the 10,000 required signatures to be considered as a candidate by the state Democratic party. But, she added, the signatures she has may not be enough because all signatures have to be checked for validity. “Whether we’re going to get our signatures or not, we’ll see how the next few days tell,” Ross said. “It was tighter than I hoped it was gonna be.” ... Ross

Associated Press, May 5, 2010 Governor Deval Patrick may not face a Democratic primary battle in September after all. Community activist Grace Ross said today she’s not sure she collected the needed 10,000 voter signatures before Tuesday afternoon’s deadline for submitting the papers to local city and town clerks. Ross said she didn’t know how many signatures her campaign submitted, but said they were "in the right range." She also said some campaign supporters were submitting signatures on their own. Local clerks have a week to certify the signatures. Patrick, who is running for a second term, say he’s already exceeded the 10,000 signature mark. He also faces Republican Charles Baker, independent Tim Cahill and Green-Rainbow party candidate Jill Stein.

Frank Phillips, Boston Globe, May 4, 2010 Governor Deval Patrick could lose as much as $750,000 in public campaign finance money if his underfunded and longshot Democratic rival, Grace Ross, fails to make the party’s primary ballot, a development that hangs in the balance as the deadline for filing the necessary signatures arrives late this afternoon. A community organizer and left-leaning activist, Ross appears to be struggling to get the required 10,000 certified voter signatures that would allow her name to appear on the September 14 primary ballot. Ross, Patrick’s only potential primary opponent, acknowledged yesterday ... If

Boston Globe Editorial, April 20, 2010 A little bit of democracy died at Saturday’s state Republican convention in Worcester, right alongside the gubernatorial hopes of businessman Christy Mihos. GOP insiders snuffed out both, when they made sure that Mihos fell short of the 15 percent needed to make the primary ballot. Mihos may or may not be missed, but the principle of allowing voters to choose major-party nominees will be. It’s time for both Democrats and Republicans to end all the useless politicking that goes into these ballot fights and eliminate the rule that candidates for constitutional offices must receive ... Party

Michael Levenson, Boston Globe, March 28, 2010 Grace Ross just can’t seem to catch a break. The Democratic activist from Worcester is running for governor this year. But she has a few thousand dollars in her campaign account, little name recognition, and a seriously uphill battle against the incumbent, Deval Patrick. Now, it seems, even the weather has marshaled its forces against her. It poured during her campaign kickoff outside the State House on Tuesday, forcing her and a half-dozen supporters to try to fire up the campaign from beneath a flimsy plastic tent. ... A

Kyle Cheney, State House News Service, March 23, 2010

Boston - Describing disappointment with the “field of millionaires” running for governor, Democrat Grace Ross began her own campaign for the Corner Office Tuesday by delivering a stinging broadside to the Patrick administration.

John J. Monahan, Worcester Telegram & Gazette, March 23, 2010 Boston - Grace C. Ross, who came in fourth in the 2006 race for governor as a Green Rainbow Party candidate, kicked off her second campaign for governor today, signing on as a Democrat with the hope of defeating Governor Deval L. Patrick for the Democratic nomination. Ms. Ross, 48, of Worcester, will face the first major challenge in June when Democrats gather at the DCU Center in Worcester for their convention. She needs 15 percent support from delegates to get on the September primary ballot. Creating jobs, stopping foreclosures and supporting local employers will be central themes ... Ross