May 1st, 2013 at 10:35 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes
By Ted Nesi and Tim White
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – Treasurer Gina Raimondo continued to raise campaign cash at a rip-roaring pace during the first three months of 2013, far outpacing the other leading candidates for the state’s top job.
April 30th, 2013 at 9:55 pm by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes
By Dan McGowan
Add Nellie Gorbea to the growing list of potential candidates for secretary of state.
Gorbea, who currently serves as executive director of HousingWorks RI, told WPRI.com she is giving “serious thought” to joining outgoing Democratic Party Chairman Ed Pacheco and Newport businessman Guillaume de Ramel in the race to replace the term-limited Ralph Mollis next year.
“A lot of people have been asking if I’m considering it,” Gorbea told WPRI.com. “I’m looking into it. I’m having thoughtful conversations.”
Gorbea, a Democrat, is a veteran in local politics, having served as a top aide to former Secretary of State Matt Brown and as president of the Rhode Island Latino Political Action Committee (RILPAC). As head of Housing Works RI, she helped craft last year’s successful bond referendum campaign that generated $25 million for affordable housing in the state.
April 22nd, 2013 at 5:22 pm by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
By Ted Nesi
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – R.I. Democratic Party Chairman Edwin Pacheco said Monday he’s resigning as head of the party to run for secretary of state, becoming the second Democrat to jump into the race.
• Related: Newport Dem Guillaume de Ramel will run for secretary of state (Jan. 24)
January 31st, 2013 at 9:22 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
Democrat Gina Raimondo is the early favorite to win the 2014 governor’s race, according to a new poll released Thursday morning to WPRI.com.
The Public Policy Polling survey [pdf] shows Raimondo would win anywhere from 32% to 46% of the vote depending on which hypothetical opponents she faces. She is the only candidate to crack 40% support in any of 10 ballot tests conducted by PPP.
If Raimondo is out of the picture, however, there’s no clear frontrunner: the leading candidates in non-Raimondo scenarios shift between Republican Brendan Doherty, Republican Allan Fung and Democrat Angel Taveras depending on the match-up. Moderate Party founder Ken Block starts out with double-digit support in most scenarios, suggesting his presence could have a major impact on the outcome.
Independent Gov. Lincoln Chafee faces an unsurprisingly uphill battle to win a second term, with more than half of voters saying they don’t want him to run again. His strongest shot at re-election comes if he runs as a Democrat: running under the party banner, Chafee starts out trailing Republicans Doherty and Fung by just four points. Among voters who do want Chafee to run again, 20% say he should run as an independent and 18% say he should run as a Democrat.
January 24th, 2013 at 2:30 pm by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
By Dan McGowan
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – Newport businessman Guillaume de Ramel has become the first candidate formally say he’ll run for secretary of state in 2014.
• Related: Taylor may run for secretary of state again after close ’10 race (Dec. 12)