Not much traction, but still running

Perhaps you have never heard of him. You have almost certainly never seen his television show, aired on Somerville cable access, during which he wears a white brassiere filled with oranges, grapefruit, and other fruit.

If such antics disqualify him, to some voters, for service in the hallowed halls of the US Senate, Azia, a 36-year-old ad salesman from Arlington, does not seem to mind.

“If you don’t want to vote for me because I was wearing a bra with fruit,’’ he said, “go ahead.’’

Beyond the five major candidates in the race to fill Edward M. Kennedy’s Senate seat, there are roughly four dozen other would-be contenders who have taken out papers in pursuit of a major upset in the Jan. 19 special election.

There is a Foxborough doctor named John Adams (no relation to the former president). There is a computer technician from Dedham named Joe Kennedy (no relation to the former congressman). There is Joseph A. Ligotti Jr., a brash radio and Internet personality known as “The Guy from Boston,’’ whose trademark is a giant cigar and no-nonsense glare.

Some have run for office before, losing races for mayor, Congress, and even president. Some just hope to influence the debate or at least get the chance to confront top-tier candidates on issues close to their hearts. Some are unemployed and could use the six-figure salary that comes with the job. Some live in Michigan.

Few, if any, of these candidates are likely to raise the money or gather the signatures necessary to mount a competitive campaign, and some have already said they probably will not run.

To qualify for the ballot, candidates running in a party primary need 10,000 signatures by Oct. 20. Those running as independents need 10,000 signatures by Nov. 24.

That high hurdle has not stopped these lesser-known hopefuls from entertaining the notion that they are the candidate best-suited to follow in the footsteps of Kennedy, a legendary legislator for nearly half a century.

“Believe me, I don’t have any illusion of winning,’’ said Sean Brady, a 44-year-old unemployed auto salesman and Army veteran from Hanson who says he has collected 2,000 signatures toward an independent bid. “I just want to send a message, and the message is that we’re tired of the way things are going.’’

Brady has already set up a page on YouTube, where he has posted a series of videos with titles such as “Massachusetts is a police state’’ and “Look at the fat man Teddy K.’’

“I am calling on all the citizens of our great country to stand united and throw down these political criminals and take back our country,’’ he writes, in all capital letters. “God bless you all!’’

Others are toying with the idea that they could win and become like Jimmy Stewart in “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,’’ in which he plays a naïve character who is appointed to the Senate and captures populist fervor in an effort to establish a national boys camp.

“I always knew that there was something else I wanted to do in life,’’ said John J. Adams, an internal medicine doctor who says fund-raising is “still in its infancy’’ but that he is starting to collect signatures. “I’m 54, and the opportunity to pursue health care on the federal level, I want to take advantage of that and see what I can do to help move it along.’’

“It’s a daunting task; I do admit that,’’ he added.

Unconventional candidates have won major races in the past - former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura won the Minnesota governor’s race in 1998 - though they often begin their campaigns well known in some fashion.

In the Massachusetts Senate race, four major Democrats - Attorney General Martha Coakley, US Representative Michael Capuano, City Year cofounder Alan Khazei, and Boston Celtics co-owner Stephen Pagliuca - have formally announced campaigns.

State Senator Scott Brown of Wrentham is the most prominent Republican in the contest.

Joseph P. Kennedy III, the former congressman and nephew of the late US senator, opted out of the race. But Joseph L. Kennedy has opted in.

This Kennedy, who has a team collecting signatures for his independent candidacy, does not have the same family connections, experience, or fund-raising prowess as the former congressman.

“I’m going to be honest with you,’’ said Kennedy, a 37-year-old computer technician. “I wasn’t intending to be running this early, but you don’t determine the timeline you’re going to live your life sometimes.’’

Asked if he had any relation with the famed political family, he said, “I’m not claiming any.’’ Another candidate in the race, though, is so eager to claim a connection to the Kennedys that she has tried contacting the family and offered to submit DNA for testing.

Jean Anne Kennedy-Windsor, who lives in rural Michigan, says she is the illegitimate child of Kathleen “Kick’’ Kennedy and King George VI, though neither the family nor the royal court have confirmed it.

“I’m still deciding whether I want to do this or not,’’ she said of running. “I do have certain feelings and certain philosophies concerning the role of government.’’

Even though most of these unknown candidates recognize their dreams are a long shot, they share enough of a desire to enter political life to put in for a seat whose predecessor once said: “The pursuit of the presidency is not my life. Public service is.’’

“You can’t sit around your entire life and look at politics and say, ‘I don’t like what’s going on but I’m not going to do anything about it,’ ’’ Joseph L. Kennedy said. “Sometimes just voting is not enough. Because you need to have someone to vote for.’’