State Political Profile: Rhode Island
Governor
Republican Gov. Don Carcieri is running for re-election. He will most likely face Democratic Lt. Gov. Charles Fogarty.
Carcieri was a political newcomer when he was elected governor in 2002, having retired in 1997 as chief executive of Cookson America and joint managing director of Cookson Group Worldwide. He has made his mark as a pro-business governor, intent on recruiting companies to the state, improving education and raising Rhode Islanders' standard of living.
Fogarty is a former state senator who was elected lieutenant governor in 1998 and 2002. While he regularly issues calls for changes in Rhode Island's energy and other policies, he does not get a lot of media attention.
Some Democrats have complained that Fogarty has not done enough to distinguish himself, and polls have shown Carcieri is one of the more popular politicians in the state.
U.S. Senate
The biggest race is Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee's bid for re-election in heavily Democratic Rhode Island. Chafee, a moderate, faces a primary challenge from conservative Republican Stephen Laffey.
There are two major Democratic candidates, former Attorney General Sheldon Whitehouse and Secretary of State Matt Brown.
The race is important nationally because the Republicans have only a five-seat hold on the Senate. If Chafee loses to a Democrat, that could weaken or help eliminate the Republicans' hold.
Many Republicans believe Chafee gives them their best chance to hold the seat. Chafee was appointed to the Senate when his father, Sen. John Chafee, died in 1999 and elected in his own right the following year.
But Republicans worry that Laffey, the mayor of Cranston, will draw votes in the primary from party members angered by Chafee's anti-war stance and opposition to President Bush. If that happens, polls show Laffey would get trounced by a Democrat in the general election.
To head off this problem, the National Republican Senatorial Committee dumped about $200,000 into ads in the fall to try to discredit Laffey after he declared his candidacy. Laffey has run his own TV ads painting himself as a Washington outsider who would stand up against special interests.
Chafee's votes against the war in Iraq and Bush's tax cuts, as well as his longtime advocacy of environmental issues and energy conservation, should help him if he makes it to the general election. But, he will still face strong competition from the winner of the Democratic primary.
Whitehouse raised more money than Chafee last quarter and had more money on hand. Brown also raised more money than Chafee that quarter, although he has less money overall. Whitehouse, long active in state politics, is expected to do well among party faithful, but Brown, a 30-something community activist, could do well among independent voters and come out on top if people want an extreme change.
U.S. House
Rhode Island has two representatives, Democrats Jim Langevin and Patrick Kennedy.
Langevin, who was paralyzed in a gun accident at age 16, is hoping for a fourth term in the 2nd District. A former state representative and Secretary of State, he was re-elected with 75 percent of the vote in 2004. He is running in the primary against Jennifer Lawless, a political science professor at Brown University, who had a minor scandal when she took campaign donations from students and their parents. The winner is likely to face independent Rodney Driver in the general election. He formerly held office as a Democratic state representative. No Republican has declared yet.
Kennedy is currently running unopposed in the First District.
Other State Races
Democratic State Sen. Elizabeth Roberts is running for lieutenant governor. Republican Kernan "Kerry" King, a retired financial services company executive, may run against her. If elected, Roberts would be the first woman to hold that position.
Two Democrats have declared for Secretary of State: North Providence Mayor Ralph Mollis and first-time candidate Guillaume de Romel.
-- Associated Press
