A second name from Brookline is appearing on the ballot for the seat that Congressman Barney Frank does not plan to run for again this year.

Joseph Kennedy III, who moved to Brookline at the beginning of February, announced that his campaign has handed in 7,360 signatures supporting his candidacy. The Mass Secretary of State's office requires 2,000 to get on the ballot--because the Secretary's office accepts only up to twice the requirement, only 4,093 signatures were accepted. 

"From the signatures collected to the phone calls made, and doors knocked – the grassroots energy behind this campaign is incredible,” said Kennedy in a press release. 

Kennedy now joins Elizabeth Childs, a Brookline School Committee member who handed in 3,200 signatures at the end of May. 

At the end of last week, fellow Brookline resident and Democrat Julius Levine dropped out of the race and endorsed Kennedy's campaign, saying that he "was privileged to be a very active volunteer in the campaigns for Congress of Joe III’s Dad. Undoubtedly, Joe III will prove to be an equally well respected and effective Congressman."

This sets him against fellow Democrat Herb Robinson of Newton, LaRouche Democrat Rachel Brown and Republicans Elizabeth Childs, Former Fourth District challenger Sean Bielat (who was the first candidate from any party to hand in his signatures in April) and Fall River Dentist David Steinhof in the September 6 primary. 

The following is a press release from the Joseph Kennedy III campaign: 

 Joe Kennedy III announced today that his office has turned in over 7,000 certified signatures to the Massachusetts Secretary of State's Office, far surpassing the 2,000 required to get on the Democratic primary ballot.*

The signatures are the latest show of support for Kennedy's growing grassroots operation. To date, the campaign has visited every city and town in the 4^th at least once, put on nearly 120 events in-district, signed up over 1,200 volunteers, and held numerous phone banks, canvasses, and organizing meetings across the district.

"From the signatures collected to the phone calls made, and doors knocked – the grassroots energy behind this campaign is incredible,” said Kennedy. “Thanks to the absolutely tireless work of our staff, volunteers and supporters, I am honored to have a place on the Democratic ballot in the 4^th Congressional District primary election. I couldn’t ask for a better team by my side in the days, weeks, and months ahead.”

Since announcing his candidacy for Congress, Joe has spent the past few months crisscrossing the 4^th Congressional District, visiting every city and town at least once to talk directly with voters. Out on the trail, he has stressed the importance of creating jobs, working to achieve energy independence, protecting health care coverage, getting our national debt under control, and bringing basic fairness back into our system. Hundreds of volunteers have signed up to help Joe, from gathering nomination signatures, to organizing volunteers in their neighborhoods and precincts, and reaching out directly to voters. Joe has also earned the endorsements of the Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Nurses Association, the Massachusetts Teachers Association, the SEIU state council and the Massachusetts AFL-CIO.

*The MA Secretary of State’s Office only accepts two times the amount of signatures required to get on the ballot. Of the 7,360 signatures turned in by Kennedy for Congress and certified by the Secretary of State, 4,093 were officially accepted.

[Correction: A previous version of this article did not include Rachel Brown, who is also running as a democrat. This was an oversight and has been corrected 4:12 p.m.]