Rainville to run as Independent for Attorney General
Monday, May 10, 2010
The Democratic race for Attorney General, which I recently profiled, was shaken up today by the announcement that Robert Rainville, a lobbyist and former probate court judge in West Warwick, is dropping out of the Democratic Primary and will run as an Independent.
Here's an excerpt from Rainville's statement: "[o]ther candidates can continue the politics of old and play the same political games. I however prefer to take my campaign straight to the people of Rhode Island.... I have to admit that it is quite liberating to know that I will not owe any favors to a particular party. I will be an Attorney General for ALL Rhode Islanders."
What does this announcement mean for the Primary and the General election?
One thing is for certain. Rainville's decision all but guarantees that a Democrat will be sworn in the AG's office come January 2011. Reason being is that there is now a Republican (Erik Wallin), a Moderate (Chris Little) and an Independent (Rob Rainville) all working diligently to divide and dilute the anti-Democratic vote in the November 2nd general election. Thus, even if the Democratic primary winner comes out bloody and bruised and only wins 40% of the general election, this will be surely enough to win a 4-way race.
As for the Democratic primary, it is unclear who likely Rainville supporters will move to in the Primary. He seemed to have the outsider talking points that Archambault and Fernandez are employing. But, he also had alot of connections on Smith Hill - similar to Kilmartin. Either way, a smaller field makes victory just a little bit harder for the prohibitive favorite: Kilmartin.
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