Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in RI Politics?

Friday, September 24, 2010

by Matthew Jerzyk

 

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Read Side of the Rhode - Who's Hot and Who's Not in RI Politics - every Friday only at GoLocalProv.com!

WHO'S HOT

Gina Raimondo -> After a stellar performance at Wednesday night's Drinking Liberally, many in attendance were heard uttering, "why isn't she running for Governor?" She's smart, she's bold, she's a bigtime fundraiser and, most importantly, she can paint her vision for Rhode Island in a way that really connects with voters.  Her future is boundless.

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Sheldon Whitehouse -> Kudos to Rhode Island's junior senator for reminding the obstructionist Republican senators that "what goes around, comes around;" if they want to break centuries of tradition in the Senate by filibustering District Court nominees supported by both home senators - like Jack McConnell in Rhode Island - they better expect the same if and when they regain power in the Senate.  McConnell deserve an "up or down" vote.

Peter Kilmartin -> As has been pointed out, Kilmartin has been blessed with the most fortunate of electoral circumstances: a 3-way primary followed by a 5-way general election = smooth sailing for this Democratic nominee for Attorney General.  In addition to that, Kilmartin has run a well-disciplined campaign (with the exception of the WPRI debate).

Ian Donnis -> This WRNI political reporter gets major props for unearthing the 1990 'peas in a pod' attack ad by Bruce Sundlun. No matter the improvements in technology, some themes never change in politics.

Childhood Lead Action Project -> This terrific non-profit organization celebrates its 18th anniversary with a "Comedy for a Cause" fundraiser on September 30, 2010 at 5:30 pm at the Hi-Hat (3 Davol Square, Providence, RI 02903). The event will feature the Ocean State Follies, community awards and a delicious meal for guests.

Michael Solomon -> This Ward 5 councilman in Providence issued a press release and hosted a Council get-together that promised enough votes to become City Council president. If his coalition holds, he will not only have defeated Luis Aponte's bid for the presidency, but he will have also ensured that the next Mayor - Angel Taveras - and the next Council President - Solomon - both hail from the same Ward (ward 5).

Bob Healey -> This Cool Mooser got quite a boost by the news that the Republican nominee for Lt. Governor was dropping out of the race. The question is whether he will have enough juice to defeat the highest-ranking women in Rhode Island political life: Elizabeth Roberts. I think not.

Earth, Wind & Fire -> Who will be the "greenest" Governor when it comes to preserving the Bay and investing in the green economy? Find out at the Rhode Island Gubernatorial Candidates Environmental Debate which is being cosponsored by the Environment Council of Rhode Island & the Providence College Political Science Department. The event is Tuesday, September 28th, 2010 at 7:00pm at '64 Hall in the Slavin Center at Providence College.

Tony Simon -> This #2 in Sen. Whitehouse's office is known as one of the smartest and most hard-working political operatives in the state and now, he's got his work cut out for himself as the director of the Democratic Party's coordinated campaign. He's hot for working with Chairman Pacheco to pull together a massive Democratic Unity dinner this Saturday night at 6:00PM at the Convention Center.

Frank Caprio & Linc Chafee  ->  With their non-stop attacks on each other, these two gubernatorial front runners have successfully marginalized every other candidate in this race (notably, John Robitaille and Ken Block).

The RI AFL-CIO  ->  After a huge primary night of upsets in the General Assembly, the AFL-CIO convention on Monday night sported a who's who of candidates seeking the endorsement of the state's largest labor organization.  Even with a "no endorsement" in the Governor's race, labor is back in a big way.

WHO'S NOT

Women -> Another election passes and, yet again, the number of women in Rhode Island elected office continues to stagnate. On the Providence City Council, it's gotten even worse, with only 1 of 15 democratic nominees being a woman. Scott MacKay has a great synopsis of the crisis in Rhode Island politics when it comes to ending the 'good old boys' club (to which the up-and-coming Ted Nesi had a good rebuttal).

Chris Little -> What happens when you champion yourself as the outsider who will take on the "bad guys" in a new TV ad, but it turns out you've spent your legal career working hard in support of the "bad guys?" Bad press happens.

Ray Rickman  ->  This longtime Democratic operative went pretty far out there for Gemma's congressional campaign (after abandoning the Cicilline camp) - serving as Gemma's political director.  It will be interesting to see what his next move is.   

John Loughlin -> This Republican congressional candidate was looking to get some action in his race to replace Patrick Kennedy against the Democratic nominee David Cicilline. He got double whammyed. First, an NBC poll put him 20 points behind Cicilline. Second, Cicilline rightfully took aim at Loughlin's statements, votes and affiliations all pointing to support for privatizing Social Security. I'm sure the senior-rich CD-1 voters will love to hear more about that.

Heidi Rogers -> For once, the Chris Youngs of the world got a conspiracy right. It is pretty clear that this Republican nominee for Lt. Governor ran and won with the intention of dropping out so that Bob Healey could have a clear shot at Elizabeth Roberts. Former Lt. Governor Charlie Fogarty is right: this plot misled voters. It was misleading and it was wrong.

Kerry King ->  You know you've had a bad week when you've spent the whole week trying to justify why you have a Florida driver's license (after having to defend your residence in Florida and your unpaid back taxes in Florida....). Kerry "Sarasota" King should pack it up now and wait for spring training. He's not ready for the big show.

Victor Profughi  ->  This pollster has been getting criticized on talk radio and in the blogosphere for his recent poll for NBC 10.  The criticism certainly seems relevant especially considering Profughi asserted the Providence Mayor's race as 'too close to call' and had Steve Laffey with a huge lead over Linc Chafee in 2006.

Send me your HOT and NOT tips to mjerzyk at gmail dot com.

 

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