Scott Lively, the socially conservative Springfield pastor and controversial antigay crusader, appears to have cleared his second — and likely final — hurdle in ensuring he will be on the GOP primary ballot, potentially creating some havoc for Governor Charlie Baker’s reelection plans and headaches for the state GOP.

Lively said this week in a statement to the Globe that he has well over the 10,000 certified voter signatures required to qualify for the Sept. 4 ballot, just several weeks after he unexpectedly gained enough support at the GOP convention to participate in the party’s primary.

“As of 11a.m. today the elections division was reporting 10,893 certified signatures with some municipalities still processing nomination papers, so my guess is we’ll be somewhere between 11,300 and 11,700 as a final number,’’ Lively said. “That’s a pretty comfortable margin, and I doubt the Baker team will challenge it.’’

The secretary of state’s office said it is still collecting the signature petitions and will not have final numbers until June 5. But if Lively’s signature count holds up, he would probably be insulated from possible legal challenges.

Lively’s first success came last month, when a right-leaning block of anti-Baker delegates, angry at the governor for muscling them out of control of the party and his refusal to support President Trump, shocked the GOP convention and gave Lively 28 percent of the delegate support. That was well above the 15 percent he needed to continue his candidacy in the primary.

Also in his statement, Lively took the opportunity to air his grievance about the state party, which broke its rules and organized petition drives for the governor earlier this year. When the Globe raised the issue, the GOP executive committee hastily called a meeting and threw out the rule — which barred the party leaders from taking sides in GOP races. It also prohibited the party from providing assistance to Lively, whom it denounced for his extreme views on gays.

“I will point out we would have had a much higher number of signatures if Baker’s minions in the Mass GOP Executive Committee hadn’t sabotaged my efforts by officially declaring me a pariah in that illegal repeal of the neutrality rules they pulled off a couple of months ago,’’ Lively said.

“I was essentially forced to rely on my own volunteers and paid signature collectors while the Mass GOP did all of Baker’s signature collecting for free,’’ he said.

Frank Phillips

Senate candidate Kingston cuts staff pay

Now that the GOP convention is over, it’s time for US Senate candidate John Kingston to enjoy the warmth of some sunny southern beaches. But first the Republican — one in a trio seeking to oust Elizabeth Warren — had some business to resolve.

Immediately after the party’s April 28 convention, where Kingston cleared the important 15 percent threshold to qualify for the ballot, he began cutting his field staff’s salaries — a move than prompted four of the five people in those positions to quit. (The other, according to a person with knowledge of his staff, took a job out of state.)

He also cut in half the fees he pays some other chief advisers, and now Kingston has a fairly skeletal campaign staff, those familiar with his decisions have confirmed.

With that out of the way, Kingston headed to a South Carolina beach, leaving the campaign trail to his primary opponents: longtime GOP activist and state official Beth Lindstrom and state Representative Geoff Diehl.

From a family member’s social media post, it appears Kingston was at one of the East Coast’s most high-end resort destinations, Kiawah Island. Just south of Charleston, the island is replete with luxury hotels, high-end restaurants, nature preserves, a golf course, and a 10-mile beach along the Atlantic Ocean.

A spokesman for Kingston’s campaign, Jon Conradi, said the staff shifts are intended to take the campaign to a whole new level — the airways — where the candidate can use his personal fortune to win the Sept. 4 primary and general election. Kingston has already put more than $3 million of his own money into the race.

“In this new phase of the race, the campaign is reorienting to win the coming air war with Senator Warren and her war chest stocked with campaign cash from New York, Washington and Hollywood elites,’’ explained Conradi.

Conradi declined to answer questions about Kingston’s vacation.

Frank Phillips

In R.I., a father and daughter run for office

What are the chances?

There aren’t a lot of people who live in Rhode Island. Not many of them are willing to run for office. An even smaller number are Republicans.

So perhaps it makes sense that this year the Ocean State ballot will feature a father-daughter Republican duo running for office.

For the record, Sal Caiozzo, 57, went first when he decided to run for Congress. Months later, his daughter, Julie Caiozzo, 26, had the idea of running for state representative. Both will be taking on better-financed Democratic incumbents.

“Politics is something that has always been discussed at home, though we aren’t super political but a normal family that talks about current events,’’ Julie Caiozzo said in an interview.

This is not Sal Caiozzo’s first attempt at elected office. In 2016 he ran as an independent for the same seat held by US Representative Jim Langevin, a Democrat.

“I was just getting my feet wet in that race, but I have always been a Republican and wanted to run for the nomination this time,’’ said Sal Caiozzo, who is unopposed in the Republican primary.

Sal Caiozzo ran a plumbing business, but now leads an advocacy group that aims to show how veterans have been exposed to certain chemicals at military bases. Julie Caiozzo, who is running for a Warwick-based seat, is an esthetician.

The two say they don’t disagree on much politically. While Sal Caiozzo would focus more on veterans’ issues in Congress, his daughter would look at boosting small businesses. Both have distanced themselves from President Trump and focused on how they would work with Democrats.

As they’ve campaigned, they said, they’ve shared tales from the trail, as well as advice. They also plan on collecting signatures together to ensure they each have a spot on the ballot.

“I am just so proud of my daughter, even if it is a little crazy we are both doing this,’’ said Sal Caiozzo.

James Pindell

Tito Jackson to receive honorary doctorate

Voters decided last fall that former Boston city councilor Tito Jackson won’t go by the title of mayor, but his college alma mater is giving him a different designation: doctorate.

On Saturday, Jackson will be one of three people to receive an honorary degree at the University of New Hampshire commencement.

In addition to Jackson, honorary degree recipients include Margaret Shea, the first woman to earn an advanced degree in physics from UNH, and LL Bean chairman Shawn Gorman, who is also serving as the commencement speaker.

Jackson served as student body president at UNH before graduating in 1999. The university also credits Jackson with helping to revive the Black Student Union on campus.

He went on to serve in former governor Deval Patrick’s administration and as a city councilor. Jackson challenged Mayor Martin J. Walsh last year and lost by more than 30 percentage points.

He will receive a doctorate of humane letters.

James Pindell