GOP May Endorse Cool Moose Candidate for Lieutenant Gov.
Monday, May 03, 2010
The Republican big tent could get a lot bigger this summer.
The state party might endorse Cool Moose Party candidate Bob Healey for lieutenant governor instead of a Republican in the election this November, according to Giovanni Cicione, chairman of the Rhode Island GOP. “I think it would be very interesting to not run a candidate for lieutenant governor and either endorse or somehow support Bob’s effort,” Cicione told GoLocalProv.
Bob Healey, an unconventional candidate, has staked his candidacy for lieutenant governor on one issue: eliminating the office and saving taxpayers as much as $4 million a year.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTHealey has twice run for the office, in 2002 and 2006. Both times he faced a field that included a Republican and Democrat. Cicione said that Healey and the Republican candidates have split the small-government vote. If Healey draws Republican support in 2010, Cicione said he would be “within range of winning.”
In 2006, Healey garnered nearly 13.5 percent of the vote while Republican candidate Reginald A. Centracchio received 33.5 percent. Combining the two yields nearly 47 percent of the vote—putting Healey within striking distance of 53 percent that handed Democrat Elizabeth Roberts a victory.
Cicione said most Republicans he had spoken with support the idea of eliminating the lieutenant governor’s office. But he is encountering some resistance from those who still want to field a Republican candidate in the race.
Cicione said he did not know what legal hurdles, if any, the party faced in endorsing a candidate from another party. He said he has not yet asked for a review of the relevant bylaws and state laws.
If there is a decision to endorse Healey, it would be made by the 250-member Republican state central committee at the June 30 convention. Cicione said that no official decisions have been made, adding that he was giving his personal opinion on the matter.
