Raimondo ‘not ruling anything out’ on 2014 bid for higher office
January 27th, 2012 at 6:00 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
By Ted Nesi
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – Treasurer Gina Raimondo acknowledged for the first time on Thursday that she may seek higher office in 2014, which will add to the heated speculation about her future plans.
Asked whether she would rule out a run for higher office in 2014, Raimondo told WPRI.com: ”As you know, I am obsessed with being a good treasurer and working as hard as I possibly can. But I’m not ruling anything out, no.”
Raimondo, 40, didn’t get more specific than that during a half-hour interview in her State House office, but speculation is widespread that she may run for governor in two years when independent Gov. Lincoln Chafee is up for reelection. She had $513,584 in her campaign war chest as of Sept. 30, more than any other politician at the state level in Rhode Island.
“We have a lot of work to do,” Raimondo said. “Pension reform was a huge step forward. I do think Rhode Island is being nationally recognized as a leader on one of the toughest issues the country faces, and saving $4 billion is a big nut – it’s big, no doubt about it – it’s big. But sure, there’s more to do.”
Raimondo’s job approval rating was 52% in a December Brown University poll, tying her with Providence Mayor Angel Taveras as Rhode Island’s most popular elected officials. Chafee’s approval rating was 27%. Among Democrats, however, Raimondo and Chafee were nearly tied at 38% and 39% approval, respectively.
Volcker, Bond Buyer impressed
The treasurer, a political newcomer when she won office in 2010, saw her star soar during last year’s heated debate over the state pension system. Since November, when Chafee signed the sweeping overhaul they crafted, she’s gotten the attention of The Wall Street Journal, Time magazine, CNBC, MSNBC, Bloomberg News and even North Dakota’s Grand Forks Herald.
“I think it’s great that Rhode Island is getting positive press,” Raimondo said Thursday. “I think it’s great that people around the country are saying, ‘Wow – Rhode Island is leading the way. Rhode Island is doing something right.’ … A year ago, honestly, nobody thought we could get this done. And we did it. And that’s proof that we can do great things and move the state forward.”
Raimondo said former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker is among those who’ve told her they’re impressed that Rhode Island passed the pension law. “Connecticut just got downgraded; Rhode Island is being heralded on the front page of Bond Buyer,” she said. “That’s great. And that’s why I’m optimistic.”
“We have a really good story to tell right now, in large because of the pension,” she added.
Raimondo urges states and cities who contact her for advice on their own pension problems to focus first on scrutinizing their liability estimates and then on educating the public. “Don’t talk about the solution until you talk about the problem, the size of the problem, and the consequences of doing nothing,” she said.
‘That’s not good government’
A coalition of liberal groups criticized Raimondo earlier this month for accepting an award for her pension efforts from the Manhattan Institute, a New York City think tank, because of its scholars’ writings on issues including gay rights and campus rape. The treasurer rejected the idea that she’s a “DINO” – a Democrat in name only.
“I’m a Democrat, in part, because I believe in government and the value of good public services,” she said, citing the importance of public schools, transit and libraries in her own life.
“I get really upset when I hear people – particularly Republicans – saying government is the problem,” Raimondo said. “All the time – ‘government is the problem,’ all this anti-government sentiment. I just disagree. However, we need a government that works. We need an effective, efficient, high-performance government. I think that’s what Democrats should be doing.”
“Having said that, I just want to get things done,” she said. “We have 10.8% unemployment. … We have people really struggling and suffering. I want to get things done. And if that means working with businesses I’m going to do that, and if that makes people uncomfortable it’s still what I’m going to do, because it’s the right thing to do.”
Raimondo emphasized that she sees her push for the pension system overhaul, which includes a freeze on cost-of-living adjustments and the transition to a hybrid retirement plan, as not in conflict with her identification as a Democrat but rather as a direct product of it.
“It’s because I believe in government services and because I value public employees that I was so focused on pension reform,” she said. “I don’t know how it’s good for public employees to have an anemically funded pension fund that’s running out of money. To my mind that’s not good government.”
“You say, what’s it mean to be a Democrat?” Raimondo added. “If we hadn’t reformed the pensions we would have seen real cuts to higher education, public education, social services, aid to people with disabilities. I just think that’s wrong. So I think it did make me a Democrat.”
Ted Nesi ( tnesi@wpri.com / @tednesi ) covers politics and the economy for WPRI.com and writes the Nesi’s Notes blog. This is the first of two articles with highlights from the Raimondo interview.
Tim White contributed to this report.
(photo: Ted Nesi/WPRI)
Tags: campaign 2014, democrats, gina raimondo, interviews, lincoln chafee, paul volcker, pensions, politics, raimondo-chafee, raimondomania
Nesi's Notes covers politics and the economy in and around Rhode Island for WPRI.com. (Twitter: 
Dino.
Fish, you are a civil servant learn to be civil and serve! Next, do you have any marketable skills that could for the private sector?
Whatever your position may be, there is nothing “uncivil” about Fish’s comment!!!
Civil servants don’t give up their right to an opinion and the right to voice that opinion when they hire on. I don’t agree with Mr. Fish’s comment, but he certainly has the right to express it.
I wish there was an “ignore” button for Ed. Basically every comment I read from him is either insulting or offers nothing but negativity. Does someone pee in your cereal every morning, Ed?
Sleepless not in this comment there is nothing uncivil. In other posts he has been and has the attitude he is entitled to the taxpayers money. Fish I apologize for cheap shotting your remark.
Whatever
Raimondo is not a DINO – she is a pragmatic Democrat who wants to solve real problems that most of the democratic politicians in this state have ignored.
Hopefully the courts make their decision before she runs for higher office. She may go from savior to goat.
Governor Gina
Ed lives in Houston, just ignor him. I’m sure Houston has a paper he can comment in. his opinion here means NOTHING.
Why can’t I get Nesi on my iPad apps for wpri 12
If you’re on our (very nice) new iPad app, there should be a Nesi’s Notes button right along the right-hand side. If you’re on our new tablet home page in Safari, I think you need to click the “full site” button and go to regular WPRI.com to find my box. Thanks for wanting to read!
Ted on the site to the right is a grey area which news, weather, rhode show, and a few other topics, however nothing with Nesi notes, or your name.
No “Nesi’s Notes” yet but I think they’re going to add it in the next version of the iPad site. For now the only option is to scroll down to the bottom of that list, click “Full Site,” and find me in my usual spot.
… of course, it’s always possible this is Channel 12′s rather subtle way of informing me I’ve been sacked.
Got it thanks Ted .
Mr. Nesi replied to a post for help. Very professional, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a writer do that. Mr. Nesi showed a lot of class, he not only writes but reads what people write about his article. Why can’t other writes do the same?
Ah yes, another promo fluff piece on the General Treasurer. Indeed, she is a Democrat…actually, if we insisted on accurate labeling we would conclude she is a “Social Democrat”. You find that used in Europe. It usually informs us that one is a socialist. She does believe in an ever expansive government role and intrusion. She is pretty close to what one might conclude is a blend of socialist and crony capitalist. As for higher office, well she’d be right at home in a our current federal administration. As for the so called pension reform, well much like the federal politicians phony promises, fiscal policies, and accounting baloney connected with social security, I wouldn’t trust her with a proverbial farthing.
Brilliant analysis. Do you also believe that Obama is a Muslim Atheist?
the sooner she leaves the treasurer’s office, the better off we will be,
as evidenced by the current 1% return on the pension fund!
Our previous treasurer, mr. caprio, obtained much better results!
[...] narrowly edged Republican John Robitaille in 2010. For her part, Raimondo has declined to rule out a run for higher office in [...]