Tom Birmingham, Shannon O'Brien, and Warren Tolman are among the other Democratic gubernatorial candidates.Tom Birmingham

A Boston Globe/WBZ-TV poll with error of +/- 5 percent estimated Thursday that Birmingham has 15 percent of Democratic support. The Herald reported the same day that his ratings have seen a steady decline. That 53-year-old was born in Chelsea and rose to state senator has made his story a "rags to riches" fairytale making Charlestown enticing candidate for some groups. Birmingham has been endorsed by many unions, from the AFL-CIO to service workers', nurses' and teachers' unions in the commonwealth. On Wednesday, he rallied with over 200 women at Faneuil Hall. "I am honored to receive the endorsement of so many women from throughout the Commonwealth, and I look forward to continuing to work as their partner in the Governor's Office, making sure their voices are heard on issues of education, health care, child care, economic security and domestic violence," Birmingham said.

On the web: www.tombirmingham.com

Shannon O'Brien

State Treasurer O'Brien is estimated to have 35 percent of Democratic support, with an especially strong female vote. Born in East Hampton and residing in Whitman, the 43-year-old Democratic frontrunner has been the recent target of Republican candidate Mitt Romney's campaign advertisements. She has also come under fire for controversy surrounding the state lottery. O'Brien, with lieutenant governor candidate Chris Gabrieli, last week unveiled a plan to keep air clean and thwart global warming. "The bad news is that humans have caused this problem; the good news is that we can also solve it by replacing current consumption practices with cleaner, more efficient technologies," she said at one campaign stop. "Our plan will not only save our natural resources, it will also save valuable tax dollars because greater energy efficiency produces significant cost savings."

On the web: www.shannonobrien.com

Warren Tolman

The Globe estimated that attorney and former state senator Tolman has 15 percent of Democratic votes, up from less than five percent six weeks ago. Tolman was born in Brighton, lives in Watertown, and was the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor four years ago. He is the only Democratic Clean Elections candidate; however, Reich has criticized Tolman's campaign tactics, saying he was using public funds to run a smear campaign against him. Tolman, whose campaign efforts also include the "Bald is beautiful" television ads, has put campaign finance at the forefront of his gubernatorial bid, touting clean elections repeatedly. Citing what he called an excess of patronage in the state judicial system, Tolman also unveiled his plan to reform the funding for state courts, allowing them to distribute money as they see fit. "I think the court system wants hands off from the Legislature," Tolman said."

On the web: www.tolman2002.com

(Sources: Boston.com, campaign websites.)