Members of Dorchester’s State House delegation could see challengers this year. Incumbents have pulled nomination papers from the Secretary of State Bill Galvin’s office, and so have several individuals looking to unseat them. Candidates for district and county offices must gather enough signatures and submit them to be certified by the registrar of voters by Tuesday, May 1.

State Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz, a Jamaica Plain Democrat who represents a part of Dorchester, could face several challengers, including Roy Owens, a perennial candidate with an anti-abortion platform, and two Republicans, David Wyatt and Charles F. Klauder. If all three challengers make it onto the ballot, they’ll likely have an uphill climb in a solidly Democratic district known as the Second Suffolk.

State Rep. Linda Dorcena Forry, a Democrat representing the Twelfth Suffolk District from Lower Mills who was first elected in 2005, may face a challenge from fellow Democrat Edmond Romulus.

State Rep. Nick Collins, a freshman Democrat from South Boston, is up for re-election, and an unenrolled candidate, Gregory Eardley, is mulling a run, according to Galvin’s office.

Fifth Suffolk State Rep. Carlos Henriquez, a freshman Democrat who represents Roxbury and Dorchester, could face off against perennial candidate Althea Garrison.

As we’ve reported in this space before, longtime state Rep. Gloria Fox, a Roxbury Democrat, is facing challenges from two fellow Dems: community activists Jed Hresko and Rufus Faulk.

Escaping unchallenged this year, at least so far, are state Sen. Jack Hart (D-South Boston), who holds the First Suffolk seat; state Rep. Russell Holmes, a freshman Democrat representing Mattapan and parts of Dorchester; and state Rep. Martin Walsh, a longtime Democrat who is also a top labor official.

The primary this year is on a Thurs., Sept. 6, a date that coincides with the action at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte. Lawmakers moved the primary up to that date because of Rosh Hashanah and federal laws that call for 45 days between a primary and a general election.

The general election, with the presidential race topping the ballot, is set for Tues., Nov. 6.

At youth jobs hearing, Arroyo targets Sen. Brown
City Councillor At-Large Felix Arroyo took aim last week at US Sen. Scott Brown against the backdrop of a rally and a hearing on youth summer jobs, which have seen a drop in federal funding, leaving elected officials like Arroyo and Mayor Thomas Menino, a top supporter of these jobs, to lobby for more dollars.

Advocates say the summer jobs provide income to families and keep young kids out of gangs, putting them on a life-changing path to future successes.

At the rally last Thursday, which drew about 70 people from various nonprofits and youth service groups, and later at a City Hall hearing, Arroyo attempted to throw some red meat into the mix. Chairing the hearing on youth jobs, Arroyo pressed US Sen. John Kerry’s state director to discuss Brown’s position on the issue. Brown will likely face consumer advocate Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, in what is expected to be a fierce election in the fall.

The Kerry man, Drew O’Brien, pointed to the senior senator’s support for youth jobs, and added a quote from a Republican president, Ronald Reagan, about how the “best social program is a job.”

But two attempts down in D.C., where hyper-partisanship reigns, to add funding to youth jobs through unrelated legislation have failed, O’Brien noted. “It very much broke down on partisan lines,” he said.

Arroyo sought to directly place blame on Brown, pushing O’Brien in his testimony: “There was no roll call, there was no roll call vote.” O’Brien responded. “And I honestly don’t know whether he [Brown] actually participated in the debate.”

Kerry, a Democrat known for often seeking bipartisan resolutions, has frequently worked with Brown, who replaced the late Edward Kennedy in the Senate, on various issues.

Tellingly, around the same time as the City Hall hearing, Kerry was slated to participate in a conference call with an organization calling itself “No Labels,” which describes itself as a “group of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents dedicated to making American government work again.”

Maura Hennigan to pay $2,000 for campaign finance violation
Former City Councillor Maura Hennigan, now in the elected job of Suffolk Superior Clerk Magistrate, will pay $2,000 after the Office of Campaign and Political Finance determined that public employees during the work day “placed address labels on campaign envelopes” for her campaign committee. “This activity did not comply with the campaign finance law,” Michael Sullivan, OCPF director, wrote in a letter to the Hennigan Committee.

Sullivan wrote that Hennigan, a former mayoral candidate, stated in November that she asked a campaign volunteer who does not have a day job as a public employee to pick up envelopes from a Jamaica Plain print shop and head to the courthouse. Two public employees met him and brought the envelopes to the fifteenth floor.

“Although we received inconsistent testimony from several individuals during our review, it is our understanding that up to five Clerk’s Office employees worked in the conference room that afternoon placing address labels on envelopes for the Hennigan Committee mailing, but they did not stuff the envelopes with invitations to the fundraising event,” Sullivan wrote. “Additionally, we note that upon completion of the labeling, the boxes were transported by employees to a privately owned vehicle outside of the courthouse.” Later in the day, volunteers put invitations into the envelopes off-site, according to OCPF.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Material from State House News Service was used in this report. Check out updates to Boston’s political scene at The Lit Drop, located at dotnews.com/litdrop. Email us at newseditor@dotnews.com and follow us on Twitter: @LitDrop and @gintautasd.