Top 30 Largest Campaign War Chests in Rhode Island
Wednesday, May 02, 2012
The top 30 largest elected official war chests in Rhode Island contain at least $20,000 each and seven politicians are members of the $100,000 club, according to a GoLocalProv review of campaign finance reports filed Monday.
General Treasurer Gina Raimondo, who counted Newark Mayor Cory Booker ($1,000) as one of the contributors who helped her raise over $100,000 in the 1st quarter, has lapped the rest of the field in the Ocean State and now has $617,922.09 in her campaign account.
Raimondo, whose has received national acclaim since the General Assembly overwhelmingly approved her pension reform plan last fall, has more cash than the next three elected officials (House Speaker Gordon Fox, Governor Lincoln Chafee and Providence Mayor Angel Taveras) on the list combined.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTIn addition to Raimondo, Fox, Chafee and Taveras, Senate Judiciary chairman Michael McCaffrey, Cranston Mayor Allan Fung and Johnston Mayor Joseph Polisena each have more than $100,000 in their campaign accounts.
The only members of the list that aren’t statewide office holders, General Assembly members or Mayors are Providence City Council President Michael Solomon ($84,923.74) and Providence Councilman Terry Hassett ($36,560.92). Hassett is among several elected officials seriously considering running for the open Secretary of State’s seat in 2014.
Lawmakers Stack Up
But with the 2012 elections beginning to take form, much of the fundraising between January and March came from members of the General Assembly set to mount reelection bids. Speaker Fox, for example, raised nearly $100,000 in the 1st quarter and now has $231,593.70 in his campaign account.
Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed raised just over $83,000 during the first three months of the year and now has $77,654 in her campaign war chest. Paiva Weed is set to continue raising money for her Leadership PAC next week when several prominent members of the EngageRI board throw her a fundraiser.
Senate Majority Leader Dominick Ruggerio, who was arrested on DUI charges in Barrington in March, brought in over $55,000 during the 1st quarter and now has $52,522.45 in his campaign account. Senator Frank Ciccone, who forfeited his position as chairman of the Government Oversight committee after acting inappropriately toward an officer the night Ruggerio was arrested, raised just under $20,000 and now has $21,319.32 in his account.
Outside of those in leadership positions, Lincoln State Rep. Peter Petrarca catapulted into the top ten largest campaign accounts with a $53,750 haul during the 1st quarter. Petrarca now has $81,822.24 in his campaign account.
Too Much Fundraising
Still, critics argue members of the legislature should not be allowed to raise money during a session, even if it could give challengers a head start on campaigning during an election year. Although a bill was not introduced this year, Common Cause Rhode Island has called for an end to in-session fundraising in the past.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, Rhode Island is one of 22 states that does not place any restrictions on giving and receiving campaign contributions during the legislative session.
“Over 50 percent of the states have passed a law prohibiting members of the GA from fundraising during the legislative session. Rhode Island does not,” Rhode Island College Professor of Political Communication Valerie Endress said last year. “The logic behind the ban is that accepting campaign contributions at the same time assembly members are casting votes may lead to a conflict of interest. It’s all about the appearance of impropriety—and rightfully so. Individuals, lobbyists, or interest groups may have legislation pending, and campaign contributions may be seen as a way to gain additional leverage.
But elected officials say they face real pressure to raise funds when they face two-year cycles. All members of the General Assembly and several locally elected Mayors and Town Councils currently serve two –year terms.
According to Pawtucket Mayor Don Grebien, who kicked off his reelection campaign Tuesday evening, the clock is always ticking when it comes to fundraising.
“It is an unfortunate fact of life today that running for political office can be a costly process, so no matter what the length of term is for an incumbent, that clock is always ticking,” Grebien said.
In the General Assembly, Senator Dawson Hodgson has introduced legislation that would impose term limits on lawmakers in hopes they might start focusing more on their role in the legislature as opposed to reelection efforts. Hodgson would like Senators to be allowed serve a maximum of two, four-year terms and Representatives to serve four, two-year terms.
“These limits would move the Rhode Island General Assembly more in line with the federal legislative model,” Hodgson said. “As a as a first-term senator, I’m acutely aware of how quickly a two year term elapses. Longer terms will allow Senators to focus more on doing the work of the people rather than focusing on reelection efforts, itself a time-consuming process.”
Republicans Try to Balance Power
For others, the fact that the top fundraising list is always comprised almost exclusively of Democrats is a major concern. Of the top 30, only Fung, Rep. Joe Trillo, and Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian are Republicans.
But several Republicans say they are stepping up to address the significant disadvantage state GOP candidates have when it comes to running for office. The State Party is now working with a group known as the Republican Strike Force, which plans to introduce its slate of conservative candidates for 2012 at a rally next week.
The group is run by Michael Napolitano, who served as a spokesman for former Congressional candidate John Loughlin. According to State GOP chairman Mark Zaccaria, the Strike Force now has more than 150 members. It remains unclear just how many candidates the group will produce.
"This rally will not only kick off our Rhode Island Republican Strike Force, it will also feature several of our candidates who will be running for the General Assembly in November,” Zaccaria said. “We have been working hard behind the scenes with many new candidates and are very excited about the 2012 election. The Strike force has grown to over 150 members and we expect a great event next Monday night."
