Chafee Says He Is “Very Unlikely” to Run for Governor in 2018
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Former Rhode Island Governor and United States Senator Lincoln Chafee said he is “very unlikely” to run for Governor 2018.
Chafee had been an increasingly vocal critic of the current administration of Governor Gina Raimondo, from calling out what he said is Rhode Island's current “candy store” economic development strategy in February 2017, to calling Raimondo “too tight” with corporations — and calling Raimondo “Rhode Island’s Hillary Clinton.”
“It’s less likely [I’d run Governor] now,” said Chafee in a phone interview on Monday. “More accurately, it’s very unlikely.”
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Chafee spoke to the factors that have impacted his chances at making another run.
“I chatted with [Democratic National Committee Chair] Tom Perez at Brown, among other factors,” said Chafee. “There are other people getting in the race…and I had a crowded one in 2010.”
In 2010, Chafee — running as an independent — got just over 36% of the vote; Republican John Robitaille got 33.6%; Democrat Frank Caprio got 23%, and then-Moderate Party candidate Ken Block got 6.5%.
When asked what he thought of former Democratic Rhode Island Secretary of State Matt Brown now eyeing the Governor’s office -- as a progressive independent -- Chafee had the following to say.
“[GoLocal’s piece] was accurate,” said Chafee, referencing the article in GoLocal looking at Brown’s past political contributors. “The pivot…I guess it is 12 years later now.”
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