NEW: Riley Cruises in Republican Congressional Primary; Faces Langevin in November
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Republican Congressional candidate Michael Riley swept to victory in a four-way primary Tuesday.
Riley will take on incumbent Congressman Jim Langevin, who was victorious in his Democratic primary over John Matson. Langevin has held the seat since 2003.
Riley has more than 65 percent of the vote with half of the precincts reporting.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTRiley is widely considered to be the most credible Republican opponent Langevin has ever had and has said he’ll spend over $1 million on the race if he believes he can win.
In an interview with GoLocalProv late last year, Riley, who ran unsuccessfully for Narragansett Town Council and failed to make it out of a GOP primary for State Senator in 2010, said he is running for Congress because while Langevin has made few mistakes during his tenure in the House, "in my view, not doing anything is a mistake."
In that interview, the fiscal conservative said he doesn't intend to discuss social issues such as same-sex marriage or abortion during his campaign because he believes candidates and elected officials need to get their priorities straight.
"I always think that if those were the only issues, we'd be doing okay. But we're not," he said.
Dan McGowan can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @danmcgowan.
