RI Political Diary: Darlington Bows Out of GOP Run for Governor and Brown Blasts McKee
Thursday, February 24, 2022
RI's Political Diary, exclusively from GoLocal, gives you up-to-date insights into the 2022 election.
Darlington Not Running for GOP Nomination for Governor
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTIn September, GoLocal first reported that David Darlington, a businessman and former chair of the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority, was looking to run for the Republican nomination for governor. The plan has ended.
David Darlington issued the following statement on Wednesday:
I have decided that I will not be a candidate for Governor in 2022.
It is time for Rhode Island to put first things first. Our state government, in so many ways, is not meeting our needs. Our overall quality of life is not good and getting worse. Crime threatens us all in so many ways. We need a comprehensive approach to change this, in order to retain and attract the best and the brightest, a minimum 5% increase in law enforcement and first responder pay as well as longer court hours and locations that fit better with where the crime is happening. Our public education system is simply not turning out students prepared for jobs in today’s economy. This is not a teacher issue it is an administration issue that needs parent participation and reform. Fiscal control and management of our state’s finances is not as rigorous as it needs to be. $13+ billion to service 1 million in population should be an affront to every Rhode Islander, we can reprioritize at the same time we tighten our fiscal belt.
I had planned to offer myself up to serve our state as a Governor with a no-nonsense, back to basics approach. As a lifelong Rhode Islander, having served in both state government and private sector, I believed my balanced perspective and experience could make a difference for the better of us all.
But over the last several weeks, I have concluded that I too need to put first things first. Although excited and motivated by the early response to my candidacy, my family and my business kept pulling me back, and, at least for now, they must take priority over my plan to re-enter public service.
Matt Brown Attacks McKee
Democratic candidate for Governor Matt Brown unleashed on Governor Dan McKee.
"One year of Governor McKee has been disastrous, four more years would be devastating. First his administration allowed health insurance companies to hike rates in the midst of the pandemic. Then he was caught giving a multi-million dollar state contract to one of his close allies. And most recently he misled the public by hiding COVID data right before the highest spike of the pandemic," said Brown.
"Like us, you’re might wondering how he thinks he can win a campaign after a scandal-ridden first-year as Governor. What Governor McKee hasn’t told you is that he’s spent his first year as Governor raking in cash from corporate PACs and corporate lobbyists while pushing a conservative agenda that benefits corporations and the ultra-wealthy," added Brown.
