Doherty hits Cicilline in new ad on eve of poll as race tightens
October 1st, 2012 at 9:21 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
The dynamic is shifting in the 1st Congressional District.
Doherty’s campaign went on the air Monday with its first TV attack ad of the campaign, “The Truth About David Cicilline,” a 30-second spot that shows anonymous people criticizing the congressman. “I voted for David Cicilline the last time, and that is not gonna happen again,” the last speaker says.
The new commercial was released nearly three weeks after Cicilline’s campaign began attacking Doherty on air as a “Romney Republican” and amid mounting evidence the race has tightened significantly since February, when the Republican had a 15-point edge over the freshman Democrat.
Three polls released by Cicilline and his allies have showed the congressman ahead, while Doherty’s own internal polling showed him with a slim lead. The new WPRI 12 poll by Joe Fleming – the first independent survey done in the Cicilline-Doherty race since February – will be released at 6 p.m. Monday.
David Wasserman, who covers U.S. House races for The Cook Political Report, said last week he may follow the lead of fellow forecaster Larry Sabato and change his prediction on the race from toss-up. He wrote:
Early this year, it seemed like Cicilline was so far behind former Rhode Island State Police Superintendent Brendan Doherty that he would fritter away a safe Democratic seat. Now that Cicilline survived his primary, he’s pivoted quickly to linking Doherty to GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, and there’s some evidence it’s been working. Two Democratic polls show Cicilline back in front with a lead in the high single digits, while Republicans contend Cicilline is still loathed by many voters and the race is still close.
In his analysis, Wasserman said Democrats “will likely need to pick up between 35 and 40 Republican-held seats” to win control of the House because some of their own members are in trouble. He linked Cicilline with Massachusetts Congressman John Tierney as two New England Democrats “whose districts shouldn’t ever be on our ratings chart but who have only themselves to blame for their dicey predicaments.”
“The slow drip of negative press surrounding Tierney’s wife’s involvement in her brother’s offshore gambling operation has forced Tierney to try to change the subject to the Tea Party, while negative press engulfing Cicilline’s management of Providence as mayor has given Republicans an exceedingly rare opening in Rhode Island,” he wrote. “Polling in Tierney’s district seems contradictory, while there’s some evidence Cicilline has climbed his way out of an early hole in Rhode Island.”
Separately, Capitol Hill newspaper The Hill on Sunday listed Cicilline as one of “the 10 House Democrats Republicans would love to beat.” The publication rates the race as a toss-up. Cicilline and Doherty will meet for a live WPRI 12 debate at the Providence Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, Oct. 16.
• Related: Preview the poll questions WPRI 12 asked RI voters (Oct. 1)
Tags: 1st Congressional District, brendan doherty, campaign 2012, david cicilline
Nesi's Notes covers politics and the economy in and around Rhode Island for WPRI.com. (Twitter: 
A vote for Doherty is a vote for John Boehner, Paul Ryan and the 1% plutocracy.
A word from a public sector employee.
[...] Doherty hits Cicilline in new ad on eve of poll as race tightensWPRI-TV 12 (blog)Doherty's campaign went on the air Monday with its first TV attack ad of the campaign, “The Truth About David Cicilline,” a 30-second spot that shows anonymous people criticizing the congressman. “I voted for David Cicilline the last time, and that is … [...]
Brendan Doherty is nothing more than a poor man’s Mitt Romney. He is through.
Is it David Cicilline or David Pinocchio? I plan on seeing a lot of bumper stickers around RI saying “I didn’t vote for Pinocchio this time!”
I can’t believe people are actually going to vote for David Cicilline. He ruined Providence. He is a lying dishonest individual. He blocked access to the Providence financial records until after his last election so noone would see how he was ruining Providence. Brendan Doherty is an honest person. He should win in a land slide.
What you stated is what I learned a long time are the characterstics of the average Rhode Islander. There is a reason Rhode Island is so incestous the dumb, the unethical just stay and keep breeding.
This is truly unbelievable. Here is a guy that was using his position as mayor of Providence to climb the latter. First he wanted to run for governor and when he realized he couldn’t win decided to stay on as mayor. Then shortly after that, Kennedy announces he is stepping down and surprise, surprise, David Cicilline wants to be a Congressman. Of course the fact that his district is so predominately democratic and all he had to do was win a primary had nothing to do with it. So he had a chance to get out of Dodge and hopefully not have to look back at the mess he was leaving Providence in. Wrong. In all of my 64 years, I have never seen such a bold and utter dishonest candidate than Cicilline. Such lies and deceit that left the new mayor with an almost bankrupt city. Cicilline’s ruthless cover-ups and deception put the tax payers and the hard working city workers as well as the state in peril. Now he is running against a truly honest, decent and respected man and he has somehow fooled the people again by dishonest characterizations against Mr. Doherty. This is insane and if this despicable person is reelected, it will be the beginning of the end for any future honorable elections in RI. Heaven help us!
[...] Related: Doherty hits Cicilline in new ad on eve of poll as race tightens (Oct. 1) Tags: campaign 2012, [...]
The new negative Doherty advertisement suggests the Doherty camp believes the Cicilline lead is real.
[...] Rep. David Cicilline's tenure as Providence Mayor from 2002 to 2010. Doherty campaign …Doherty hits Cicilline in new ad on eve of poll as race tightensWPRI-TV 12 (blog)Doherty ad hits Cicilline in RI congressional raceBoston.comDoherty goes on the [...]
Cicilline spent about 100 thousand dollars for the letter P.Some marketing campaign that was.Where did the taxpayers money really go?I would have done the Letter P for a sixpack and a pizza.If you want dishonest slime to represent you Vote Cicilline.
[...] Attack Ad …WLNE-TV (ABC6)Providence.thephoenix (blog) -The Providence Journal -WPRI-TV 12 (blog)all 23 news [...]
[...] The Sabato Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics made the same move last month, also changing its rating on the race to “Leans Democratic.” One holdout that’s still rating Cicilline-Doherty as a tossup is The Cook Political Report, though Cook is also considering a change. [...]