EXCLUSIVE: Chafee Secretly Met with President Obama
Thursday, May 30, 2013
The race for Governor of Rhode Island was flipped upside down when Lincoln Chafee and President Barack Obama spoke last Wednesday about Chafee becoming a Democrat and then met in a secret meeting at the White House on Thursday.
On Wednesday, Chafee called the President to tell him he was driven by his principles and felt most comfortable running for re-election as a Democrat. Chafee flew to Washington and met with the President on Thursday morning at the White House according to multiple Democratic sources.
Chafee's Private Meeting
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe meeting between the President, Chafee and key White House staff focused on the transition from being unaffiliated to running as a Democrat and how the White House would support Chafee's re-election campaign.
In 2008, Chafee had broken ranks and supported then-Senator Barack Obama's White House bid that year. Chafee and Obama developed a close ideological and personal relationship when the two served in the United States Senate together for two years. Chafee, then a Repbulican, lost his Senate seat in 2006 to now U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).
President to Support Chafee
The meeting between the President and Chafee included a discussion of fundraising and mailing list help. In addition, according to both Washington and Rhode Island sources, the President pledged to give Chafee a letter of support.
Impact to Raimondo and Taveras
The impact on the race is profound and may flip the table as to who decides to run as a Democrat for Governor of Rhode Island in 2014.
For Gina Raimondo, the sitting Democratic Treasurer, the White House support for Chafee does significant damage to her national Democratic support and fundraising abilities. The impact may be that Raimondo may have to seek the Governor's office by running as an Independent.
Equally, the Chafee move may force Providence's sitting Mayor Angel Taveras to rethink his decision. Taveras, who does not have the fundraising capacity of Raimondo or the personal wealth and now Democratic ties that Chafee can access, has a much higher risk.
