Nick Autiello, who officially kicked off his campaign for State Senate District 5 in Providence on Tuesday, appeared on GoLocal LIVE where he spoke to what drove him to run for office.
Autiello, a Federal Hill native, said it was his experience of growing up on “the Hill” — and having to move with his family for better employment opportunities out of state — that made him want to run for office, so that others wouldn’t have to leave Rhode Island — like his family did.
In addition, Autiello discussed his views on a wide range of issues from the PawSox to legalizing marijuana — and facing a Democratic primary that sees him pitted against both the incumbent as well as another challenger.
Raimondo over the years has received over a million in donations ($940,269.50) and loans ($150,000 from Raimondo) in total from the Providence East Side zip code 02906.
VIDEO: GOP Tracks Down Raimondo Outside of an NYC Fundraiser.
GOP camera person (unidentified) tracked down Governor Gina Raimondo as she was entering an NYC fundraiser, which the RI GOP pounced on Monday night.
"While Raimondo has plenty of time to jet around the country to meet with donors to bolster her struggling re-election campaign, she refuses to find the time to fix the DCYF’s problems, ignoring children under state care who have been abused and neglected. Since Rhode Island’s at-risk youth can’t afford to attend her fancy fundraisers, they apparently can’t count on Raimondo to address their issues," charges the RIGOP.
New York has been good to Raimondo over the years. As General Treasurer and Governor, Raimondo has raised $1,667,064.48 in the Empire State.
In contrast, in multiple runs for City Council, Mayor and two runs for Governor, Allan Fung has raised $2,193,160.79 from individuals over nearly 20 years.
With the first-quarter campaign reporting deadline over, independent candidate Joe Trillo explained his early filing to the state Board of Elections, reporting that he raised $6,825.00 during the quarter.
“I am not actively out in the community raising money because, unlike all of my opponents, I have no intention of being beholden to any special interest groups or individuals who offer me large contributions,” said Trillo.
“While I am receiving donations and greatly appreciate all of the money that has been donated to my campaign, I have decided to fund the majority of the campaign myself. This is a testament to how confident I am that I have enough money to run a successful and victorious campaign,” he added.
