Questions for David Cicilline in his Race for Congress
Thursday, April 29, 2010
David Cicilline has a diverse and experienced team in his race for Rhode Island's 1st Congressional District.
Cicilline's team includes campaign manager Eric Hyers, a campaign veteran of races with Sen. Kirsten Gillebrand and John Edwards; political and media consultant Mandy Grunwald, the Hillary Clinton for President media consultant; finance chairman Don Sweitzer, a GTECH executive; campaign treasurer Nancy Benoit, the former Woonsocket State Representative. At the close of the first quarter, the Cicilline campaign reported an impressive $725,000 raised, including many contributors who signed over money from his state account to his federal account. In a race expecting to cost $1 million, Cicilline is well on his way to having the money to dominate on TV and on the ground.
The questions for Cicilline in this race are as follows:
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(2) Can he change his current polling numbers as the last Brown University poll had a job approval rating of 41% approve and 46% disapprove?
(3) Will his longtime dispute with the firefighters union cost him the support of labor in the heavily unionized 1st Congressional district (Lynch has already won endorsements from the Teamsters and the UFCW)?
(4) Will the entrance of progressive State Representative David Segal draw liberal votes away from Cicilline among students, East Siders and those in the East Bay or will Segal divert anti-Cicilline votes away from Lynch?
(5) Will Providence voters - representing 14% of the turnout in this race - come out en masse for Cicilline?
