RI Campaign 2010: No Summer Vacation for Candidates
Monday, June 07, 2010
Summer may mean more vacation for some people—but certainly not all the campaign workers and candidates who filled the weekend with campaign kick-off events, with more to follow this week.
Today, the David Cicilline campaign for Congress is officially launching with a bus tour throughout the First District. He will be hitting Woonsocket, Smithfield, East Providence, Bristol, and Pawtucket—where he will open his official campaign headquarters. The main theme throughout the day will be his “Creating Jobs Now” economic plan.
On Saturday, Attorney General Patrick Lynch opened the office for his gubernatorial campaign. At the opening, held in East Providence, Lynch appeared to downplay the results of a recent Rasmussen poll that showed him trailing fellow Democrat Frank Caprio and independent Lincoln Chafee in the race. “I’m excited finally to get into the summer,” Lynch told GoLocalProv. “It’s getting to a point where people are starting to focus.”GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST
Lynch said the economy and job creation would be among his top priorities, saying he would fill the void in leadership caused by Gov. Don Carcieri. “People are beaten down,” Lynch said. “We need to lift them up, get them focused, and bring them out.”
Betsy Dennigan, a Democrat challenging Jim Langevin for the Second District seat in Congress, officially opened her office on Broad Street in Providence on Saturday. With Dominican music, a barbeque, and some dancing, the event felt more like a block party than a political rally. Anne Connor, a campaign volunteer from Barrington, said she was supporting Dennigan because women need more representation in Congress. “I want a woman to represent Rhode Island women—women are 50 percent of the Rhode Island population,” Connor said.
Two other campaigns also held office openings over the weekend. Providence mayoral candidate John Lombardi, a Democrat, opened his office on the East Side of the city—the first of many local offices in what will be a community-focused campaign, according to campaign manager Ramon Martinez. Also, Gina Raimondo, a Democratic candidate for state treasurer, opened her office on Jefferson Boulevard in Warwick.
Republican Erich Sturn is challenging Speaker Gordon Fox for his seat in the Rhode Island House. Like his opponent, Sturn is openly gay, but he downplayed the impact his sexual orientation could have on the race. “I don’t know that it would be much of a factor,” Sturn told GoLocalProv. “I prefer to run on what I believe in rather than my sexual orientation.” His said his top issues include bringing more industry to the state and reducing the burden of state and local taxes.
But Sturn also criticized Fox for inaction on the gay marriage—something Sturn says he supports. “For somebody who made it a key piece of his platform, he just completely swept it under the rug the first chance he got,” Sturn said. A spokesman for Fox declined to comment.
Sturn will officially announce at an event on Federal Hill tonight.
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