Raimondo Wins Reelection as RI Governor UPDATED
Wednesday, November 07, 2018
Governor Gina Raimondo leveraged more than $10 million in campaign and third-party spending to fuel her win over GOP candidate Allan Fung and independent Joe Trillo. A strong economy in Rhode Island and 4 percent unemployment may have been the secret to victory
With 99 percent of the vote in, Raimondo has 52.6 percent, Fung 37.2 percent and Trillo just 4.4 percent -- a better than 15 percent win for Raimondo.
Raimondo narrowly defeated Fung 4-years earlier.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTAt the Democratic celebration at the Biltmore Hotel, Crowd chanted “Four more years!” After Raimondo hits the stage.
Raimondo thanked her opponents in the race. “It takes a lot to put your name on a ballot,” she said.
“The work that lies ahead is our most important work because everyone has to feel the economic recovery,” Raimondo said.
“We have work to do,” she said. “And we’re not stopping until we’re done.”
Overcame Low Approval Ratings
Raimondo overcame low approval scores and multiple first-term controversies to win reelection. Last October, a GoLocal poll conducted by Harvard’s John Della Volpe found that only 6 percent of Rhode Islanders thought she was doing an excellent job and 28 percent doing a good job, but a year and millions helped transform her approval rate and helped her win her second term.
Already rumors are swirling the Raimondo will begin her play for a national stage, potentially as a possible Vice Presidential candidate. Early on Tuesday, she denied the rumors.
Raimondo is one of 21 women named by Broken Glass 2020 as a potential Presidential aspirant.
Raimondo is one of the organization’s top picks for “the women who are capable of leading the U.S. into a better future and are not from a single political party or a narrow social background.”
This is not the first time for Raimondo to be tagged as a possible Presidential candidate for 2020. The New York Times in the summer of 2017 included Raimondo in a feature, "As Party Drifts Left, Pragmatic Democratic Governors Have Eye on White House."
Others listed by the Broken Glass 2020 group include former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Senators Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Kirsten Gillibrand is a potential candidate for U.S. President in 2020.
Another New York Times piece wrote about Raimondo, hyping her on the national stage, “My own view is, we have to say: The whole game is job growth'...Ms. Raimondo, 45, a former venture capitalist, stressed that she did not believe the party should change its liberal platform on social issues and called for fierce resistance to Mr. Trump."
Raimondo’s win is impressive compared to her 2014 victory.
In that race, Raimondo only garnered 40.7 percent of the vote. Fung garnered 36.2 percent and the late Bob Healey captured 21.4 percent.
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