 State Rep. Daniel B. Winslow became the first Republican to officially join the U.S. Senate special election to replace Secretary of State John F. Kerry yesterday, saying he is “110 percent” committed to what will be a short but potentially bruising race. I’m going to give this race everything I’ve got.” 
 
 Winslow, 54, is a second-term state representative from Norfolk who served as Romney’s chief legal counsel from 2001 to 2005. Other Republicans considering the race include Senate Minority Leader Bruce E. Tarr, former congressional candidate Sean Bielat, and Gabriel E. Gomez, a private equity investor and former Navy SEAL. “I am confident I am going to be on the Republican ballot.” 
 
 Winslow is the first Republican to officially enter the race after Democratic U.S. Reps. Stephen F. Lynch and Edward J. Markey announced they were running. Tarr said he will make a decision as to whether he is in or out of the race “no later than Monday.” 
 
 Joining the special election has become increasingly difficult with every day that passes because candidates must collect 10,000 signatures before Feb. 27 to get on the ballot. “We’re going to use a combination of paid vendors and an army of volunteers to get this done,” said Winslow, who once served as former Gov.
– After being rebuffed by Scott Brown, Tagg Romney, William Weld, and Kerry Healey, Massachusetts Republicans finally have at least one candidate for Senate. State Rep. Daniel Winslow, who had previously said that he was "99% certain" he'd run, yesterday told the Boston Globe he was "going to be 100% running for the US Senate." Winslow chipped in $100,000 of his own money to start the campaign, but that's a fraction of the $4 million to $6 million he estimates the venture will cost. Before becoming a state rep, Winslow served as chief legal counsel to Mitt Romney and as a district court judge. He'll fly to Washington on Monday to meet with the National Republican Senatorial Committee, presumably in the hopes of securing more funding. At least three other Republicans are also publicly considering runs, but every day they delay getting in will make that prospect harder, the Boston Herald points out, because candidates need 10,000 signatures by Feb. 27—and generally shoot for 20,000 in case some are challenged.