May 13th, 2013 at 6:19 pm by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes
By Ted Nesi
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – Rhode Island’s congressional delegation slammed the Internal Revenue Service on Monday for giving special scrutiny to conservative groups, but U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse suggested the scandal reflects a broken national campaign-finance system.
April 10th, 2013 at 5:21 pm by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
President Obama isn’t getting any support from Rhode Island’s congressional delegation for his controversial proposal to trim future Social Security benefits.
All four Democrats – usually loyal defenders of the president – issued statements Wednesday criticizing Obama for his proposal to use a different measure of inflation, known as “chained CPI,” to calculate Social Security benefit increases, which would reduce payments over time compared with current law.
The harshest critique came from U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a leading liberal in the chamber. “The so-called ‘chained CPI’ proposal included in President Obama’s budget is nothing more than a benefit cut disguised behind technical jargon,” he declared.
Whitehouse said he thinks the way Social Security currently calculates inflation already “shortchanges” senior citizens and should be changed to increase benefits – the exact opposite of Obama’s proposal. “I made a promise to the people of Rhode Island that I would always oppose cuts to Social Security, and I’m going to keep that promise,” Whitehouse said.
March 22nd, 2013 at 9:46 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
U.S. Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse were among the 79 senators who voted Thursday night to get rid of a tax on sales of medical devices passed in 2010 to help fund President Obama’s health reform law.
The two Rhode Island senators joined 31 of their fellow Democrats and all 45 Republicans in voting to repeal the 2.3% excise tax on medical devices, which took effect Jan. 1. Getting rid of it would cost the federal government $29 billion from 2013 to 2022, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a left-leaning Washington think-tank that opposed repealing it.
Whitehouse and another stalwart liberal, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, were among those who sided with the device industry on the repeal measure, which was introduced by Republican Orrin Hatch of Utah and has been the subject of a heavy lobbying effort.
Stephen Lane, chairman and chief venture officer of the Providence-based medical-device firm Ximedica, said at a manufacturing forum last year co-hosted by Congressmen David Cicilline and Jim Langevin that the tax was causing his industry to move production to Asia. Cicilline and Langevin voted to keep the tax, and Cicilline clashed over the question with his Republican opponent Brendan Doherty in a WPRI 12 debate last fall.
February 12th, 2013 at 7:50 pm by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
Congressman Jim Langevin is usually seen as a mild-mannered politician – not exactly a bomb-thrower. But hours before the State of the Union, Rhode Island’s senior congressman finds himself in a public feud with gun-loving rock star Ted Nugent.
Nugent declared Langevin a “Ted hater” when reporters asked him about Langevin’s earlier comments that it was inappropriate for Nugent to be Texas Congressman Steve Stockman’s guest for the big speech, considering the musician once told an NRA rally he’d be “dead or in jail by this time next year” if President Obama got re-elected.
“He probably has s**t for brains,” Nugent said of Langevin on Tuesday afternoon, according to Politico’s Kate Nocera. Speaking in the third person, Nugent also said Langevin is “a perfect example of the brain dead critics of Ted Nugent.”
Langevin has gotten national headlines over the past few weeks for his successful effort to convince some of his colleagues to bring victims of gun violence to the State of the Union as a show of support for the president’s new gun-control push.
Update: Appearing on WPRO this morning, Langevin laughed off Nugent’s remarks: “I like a couple of his songs, but I’m not a frequent listener, let’s put it that way.”
• Related: Watch Newsmakers with Congressman Jim Langevin (Feb 3.)
February 3rd, 2013 at 5:00 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
January 11th, 2013 at 5:00 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
Rhode Island Republicans aren’t alone in their conundrum.
The state party just took another drubbing in a big election year, managing to lose a bunch of its few General Assembly seats and striking out against a deeply tarnished incumbent congressman. Their compatriots in places like Massachusetts, California and Washington can sympathize.
The big question is, what now?
Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian, one of the most prominent Republicans in the state (and someone who actually wins elections), said during an RIPR panel interview Thursday that as 2014 approaches he’s keeping in close touch with Cranston Mayor Allan Fung and former congressional hopeful Brendan Doherty, an attempt to coordinate their efforts and come up with a viable slate of candidates.
January 2nd, 2013 at 10:58 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes
By Ted Nesi
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WPRI) – They didn’t love it, but in the end all four Democrats in Rhode Island’s congressional delegation stood by President Obama and voted for this week’s “fiscal cliff” compromise, once again standing with their party’s leadership during a major confrontation.
December 14th, 2012 at 5:00 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
Republican Michael Riley spent nearly $1 million on his failed campaign to defeat Democratic Congressman Jim Langevin, almost as much as the incumbent spent and almost all of it from his own bank account.
Riley spent a total of $969,943 after entering the race in January, while Langevin spent $1.07 million over the two-year cycle, according to reports filed last week. Riley spent more during the final stretch, laying out $176,199 against Langevin’s $105,803.
Riley, an investor and first-time candidate, gave his campaign $855,200 in personal loans, none of which had been paid back as Nov. 26. He also reported $129,151 in donations and finished the campaign with $8,151 on hand.
December 3rd, 2012 at 3:52 pm by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
Congressman Jim Langevin had quite an illustrious photo op at the Capitol this morning.
The 2nd District Democrat joined U.S. Sens. John Kerry and John McCain – both of whom nearly became president of the United States – to urge passage of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which faces Republicans opposition. Langevin is co-chair of the Bipartisan Disabilities Caucus.
Kerry and McCain also gave each other some good-matured jabs during the press conference.
(photo: Langevin’s office)
October 30th, 2012 at 9:50 pm by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes
By Ted Nesi and Tim White
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – Incumbent Democrats U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressman Jim Langevin still hold sizable leads over their Republican challengers just a week before Election Day, according to an exclusive WPRI 12 poll released Tuesday night.
• Interactive: Check out the complete WPRI 12 poll results breakdown
Coming on Tuesday: Obama vs. Romney; Chafee for re-election; schools, business climate
October 19th, 2012 at 9:25 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
With 18 days to go before the election, Democratic Congressman Jim Langevin is taking to the airwaves to boost his bid for another term in the U.S. House.
Langevin’s campaign announced Friday morning he’s going on the air with his first TV commercial of the 2012 cycle, “Fighting for Us,” which attacks his Republican opponent Michael Riley while burnishing the incumbent’s own image.
Langevin’s ad arrives after Riley pummeled him for weeks with negative spots portraying the incumbent as someone who’s profited from his time in Congress. The latest WPRI 12 poll showed Langevin leading Riley 53% to 29% among likely voters in the 2nd Congressional District, though Langevin’s approval rating was only 39%.
Langevin has a significant financial advantage over Riley, who’s poured $632,200 of his own money into his campaign so far. Langevin had $412,692 on hand as of Sept. 30, while Riley had $54,807. Riley criticized Langevin on Thursday for declining to debate him on WPRO. The pair debated on WPRI 12 last week.
• Related: Watch the full WPRI 12 2nd District debate: Langevin vs. Riley (Oct. 9)
October 9th, 2012 at 8:12 pm by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes
October 9th, 2012 at 5:14 pm by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes
By Ted Nesi and Tim White
EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – Democratic Congressman Jim Langevin and his Republican opponent Michael Riley clashed over taxes, jobs and the incumbent lawmaker’s six terms in Congress during their first televised debate on Tuesday.
• Related: Watch Langevin, Riley debate tonight at 7 on Fox Providence (Oct. 9)
October 9th, 2012 at 5:00 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
October 8th, 2012 at 2:03 pm by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
The Washington Post is doing an interesting investigative series called “Capitol Assets” which looks at the personal finances of members of Congress, many of whom are, well, rich. On Sunday, The Post reported the wealthiest members of Congress “were largely immune from the Great Recession.”
As part of the series, the paper crunched the numbers for each member of the House and Senate to see where their fortunes comes from. Since their financial disclosures use broad ranges, The Post took the midpoint as each asset’s value. The disclosures don’t include personal homes or non-interest-bearing bank accounts, which don’t have to be disclosed.
Three of the four members of Rhode Island’s congressional delegation are wealthier than their colleagues, with U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse having four times more money than the median senator; U.S. Sen. Jack Reed is the exception. Click the links for a breakdown of each man’s financial profile.
October 1st, 2012 at 9:50 pm by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes
By Ted Nesi
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressman Jim Langevin both hold commanding leads over their little-known Republican challengers with five weeks to go before the election, according to an exclusive WPRI 12 poll released Monday evening.
• Interactive: Check out the complete WPRI 12 poll results
Coming on Tuesday: Obama vs. Romney, approval ratings for Chafee, Reed, Raimondo, Taveras.
September 18th, 2012 at 8:21 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
Just one week after securing the Republican nomination in Rhode Island’s 2nd Congressional District, Republican Michael Riley is going hard after Democratic Congressman Jim Langevin in a new campaign commercial. The Riley campaign described it as “the largest media buy in the 2nd Congressional District’s history” and said it will cost six-figures for two weeks of TV and radio play.
It’s not clear whether Langevin isn’t in any trouble – there’s been no independent polling in the 2nd District, and the incumbent has won re-election easily every two years since he won office in 2000. The congressman’s campaign hasn’t announced any plans for an ad buy. Here’s the Riley spot:
According to Riley’s campaign, the $20 million figure in the ad refers to almost $2 million in congressional salary Langevin has received since taking office; more than $6 million in campaign contributions he’s collected; and more than $11 million he’s spent running his official offices.
Update: Riley’s campaign says they’ve spent more than $100,000 on the initial ad buy, with more to come. The TV spot is running on all four big stations (WPRI, WJAR, WNAC, WLNE), Cox and Verizon, while the radio spot is running on Cumulus and Clear Channel stations. Riley will be on all those outlets through the November election, according to a spokeswoman. Langevin’s campaign is criticizing the commercial.
July 12th, 2012 at 6:34 pm by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
Patrick Kennedy isn’t pleased with one of the two Democrats trying to win his old 1st Congressional District seat.
In a statement Thursday evening, the former congressman took Anthony Gemma to task for telling WPRO-AM he won’t support fellow Democrats U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressman Jim Langevin in November. Gemma cited their support for incumbent Congressman David Cicilline over him.
“It is critically important that we all continue supporting our fantastic federal delegation this year in Senator Whitehouse and Congressmen Langevin and Cicilline,” Kennedy said. “This is about Rhode Island, not about each candidate, and I don’t think Mr. Gemma understands this.”
Gemma told WPRO the other federal officials should have stayed neutral in the Democratic primary. “I’m frustrated with Senator Whitehouse that he has not stepped up and done what’s right for me,” he said. “His constituents are telling him in droves that I am the right candidate. I know it for a fact.”
Gemma added that he does support U.S. Sen. Jack Reed because “he’s not running.”
Cicilline defeated Gemma in the Democratic primary to succeed Kennedy two years ago after the veteran congressman decided to retire. In his statement, Kennedy said he supports the three incumbents because of their positions on Social Security, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, offshoring and fossil-fuel subsidies.
“I was proud to serve with Senator Whitehouse and Congressman Langevin in Washington and I saw firsthand their dedication to Rhode Island and their fierce advocacy for the people of our state,” he said.
A WPRI 12 poll in May showed Cicilline with a slim in the Democratic primary, with 40% of voters supporting him, 36% supporting Gemma and 20% undecided. The primary is Sept. 11.
April 19th, 2012 at 5:00 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
By Ted Nesi
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – Rhode Island’s most prominent political leaders are divided on whether they should allow the public to review their income tax returns and find out how much they paid the government.
Out of 12 leading politicians surveyed by WPRI.com, six said they would disclose the results of their 2011 tax filings as soon as they become available: U.S. Sen. Jack Reed; Congressman David Cicilline; Republican congressional candidate Brendan Doherty; Republican U.S. Senate candidate Barry Hinckley; Treasurer Gina Raimondo; and Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis.
Tax rates have become a political hot potato in 2012. Democrats spent the last few weeks publicizing their proposed “Buffett rule” requiring a higher tax rate on income above $1 million, and President Obama is pressuring Republican Mitt Romney to release his returns. In the U.K., David Cameron may soon become the first British prime minister to disclose his tax bill.
U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, who led Democrats in beating the drum for the Buffett rule, requested an extension to finish his 2011 tax returns, spokesman Seth Larson said. Larson declined to say whether Whitehouse will break with his past practice and release his returns once they’re completed. In 2010, Whitehouse disclosed that his net worth was at least $3.5 million.
March 19th, 2012 at 5:44 pm by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline are still supporting a bill crafted by House Republicans to help small-business investors but say they’re open to changes being pushed by U.S. Sen. Jack Reed.
Langevin and Cicilline both pointed to the fact that the House’s “JOBS Act” bill, which passed the lower chamber on a lopsided 390-23 vote, was a rare example of bipartisanship in the bitterly divided House of Representatives. Rhode Island entrepreneur Angus Davis has also expressed support for it.
“Although I do have some concerns about certain provisions in the JOBS Act, I believe that, on balance, this bipartisan proposal will ultimately help put Rhode Islanders and men and women across our country back to work,” Cicilline told WPRI.com in a statement.
In an email, Langevin spokesman Jonathon Dworkin told WPRI.com his boss “believes it is critical for our economic recovery to encourage investment in high-growth industries and ensure our entrepreneurs have fair opportunities. The JOBS Act addresses those goals.”
March 16th, 2012 at 4:32 pm by Ted Nesi under General Talk
By Tim White
WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) – Thousands of alumni from Bishop Hendricken High School have received letters advising them of a pending bankruptcy case against the congregation that once ran the school, and setting a deadline for those who plan to file a sex abuse claim.
The first letter, signed by the president of the high school, was sent to Hendricken alumni who graduated between 1972 and 2011, when the Congregation of the Christian Brothers operated the all-male Catholic school.
“A federal court ruling pertaining to the allegations forced Bishop Hendricken’s administration to release our alumni list for the aforementioned years,” the Dec. 29, 2011, mailing stated. “You will be receiving a letter concerning allegations brought against some members of the congregation.”
Several months later alumni received an ominous form letter from a U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York. It states The Christian Brothers Institute and the Christian Brothers of Ireland, Inc., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on April 28, 2011. The letter then informs the reader of a deadline for those thinking of suing the Christian Brothers.
March 15th, 2012 at 8:11 pm by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
U.S. Sen. Jack Reed is taking the lead in rallying Democrats to overhaul a proposal put together by House Republicans that supporters say will help small businesses get capital but he and others say will undermine consumer and investor protections.
The House bill sailed through the lower chamber last week on a lopsided 390-23 vote, with Congressmen David Cicilline and Jim Langevin among the 158 Democrats who supported it. But Reed and his colleagues say the House is making a big mistake by trying to scale back SEC rules.
“I am frankly stunned by the speed with which these special interest folks representing very powerful interests in this country have been able to move this bill through the House,” U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., told Politico. AARP, the chairwoman of the SEC and others have also expressed concerns.
The Senate is scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether to replace the House’s Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act with an alternative offered by Reed that he and his co-sponsors, including U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, call the Invigorate New Ventures and Entrepreneurs to Succeed Today (INVEST) in America Act. But they face an uphill battle to get 60 votes and defeat a filibuster.
“As more and more people have looked closely at the [House] bill, they have found more and more problems,” Reed said Thursday on the Senate floor. “Problems that could roll back key consumer protections and cause entire financial transactions and financial entities to go dark. … We hope that our legislation can serve as a base bill for the Senate to discuss and amend as we move forward.”
March 8th, 2012 at 10:16 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
Here’s some more evidence that Treasurer Gina Raimondo’s star is on the rise.
Raimondo gets second-billing after former Congressman Patrick Kennedy on the invitation that just went out to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s fundraiser with top House Democrat Nancy Pelosi on March 18.
The DCCC’s evening “cocktail reception” with Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline will be held at the Carnegie Abbey Club in Portsmouth. Couples are asked to donate $30,800 (the “Speaker’s Cabinet” level) or $15,000 (“Host”), while individuals are asked to give $5,000 (“Sponsor”) or $1,000 (“Guest”).
The other hosts are attorney Zach Darrow of DarrowEverett LLP and Don Migliori of Motley Rice; lobbyists Gerry Harrington and Chris Vitale of the Washington-based Capital City Group; and lobbyists Rick McAuliffe and Jeff Taylor of The Mayforth Group.
The invitation does not say whether Raimondo is “endorsing” Cicilline or just “supporting” him at the event. Pelosi has hosted fundraisers in Rhode Island in the past, and in 2009 she made an ill-advised visit to a Middletown company whose top executive later pleaded guilty to paying bribes for defense contracts.
March 1st, 2012 at 6:00 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse got a whole lot less liberal in 2011, at least in the eyes of National Journal.
The Beltway magazine is out with the latest edition of its widely watched annual rankings of where members of Congress fall on the ideological spectrum, and Whitehouse dropped to No. 19 on the liberal list after two years on top.
National Journal put Whitehouse in lockstep with his senior colleague U.S. Sen. Jack Reed. The Rhode Islanders shared a two-way tie for 19th place, voting for liberal policies 78% of the time. Reed ranked 10th most-liberal the prior year.
Reed and Whitehouse were the only two senators from the same state who received the exact same composite scores from National Journal for 2011. But the other half of Rhode Island’s congressional delegation isn’t in agreement nearly as often.
February 29th, 2012 at 4:41 pm by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
Congressman Jim Langevin’s public comments are usually about cybersecurity, job training and other weighty policy matters. But not when he does an interview with Heard on the Hill, Roll Call’s gossip call, for its weekly Take Five feature.
Did you know the 2nd District rep’s favorite superhero is Superman? That he still prefers printed books over e-editions despite being a tech guru? That he’s more of a football fan than a baseball aficionado? Langevin revealed all this and more.
The congressman’s most interesting comments may be about the historical figure he’d most like to meet: FDR, another Democrat who didn’t let his wheelchair keep him from Washington.
“He’s one of my great heroes and led the nation in one of the most challenging times in U.S. history,” Langevin said, adding that he’d like to find out “what gave him his courage and determination during challenging times.”
(comic via AP)
January 29th, 2012 at 6:00 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
January 25th, 2012 at 9:01 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
Here’s a photo of Congressman Cicilline shaking Obama’s hand post-speech.
(I posted a CBS News poll with instant reaction earlier after misreading a tweet – it was from 2011. Mea culpa.)
January 22nd, 2012 at 2:05 pm by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
An extraordinary story in today’s New York Times:
[A]s Steven P. Jobs of Apple spoke, President Obama interrupted with an inquiry of his own: what would it take to make iPhones in the United States?
Not long ago, Apple boasted that its products were made in America. Today, few are. Almost all of the 70 million iPhones, 30 million iPads and 59 million other products Apple sold last year were manufactured overseas.
Why can’t that work come home? Mr. Obama asked.
Mr. Jobs’s reply was unambiguous. “Those jobs aren’t coming back,” he said ….
URI’s Len Lardaro reminded me last week that 2012 marks the 25th anniversary of the year Rhode Island stopped being a manufacturing economy. Manufacturing output in Rhode Island has stayed basically steady since 1997, but manufacturing employment has plunged by nearly half. Providence’s workers faced more risk from the rise of China than their peers in any other region of the U.S. save one.
All those worrisome facts came to mind as I read The Times’ stunning article on why iPhones aren’t made in America. The answer is, if anything, more troubling than I’d thought before – the migration of the entire global electronics supply chain to Asia has put the American economy at a deep disadvantage that will be very, very hard to overcome.
Rhode Island’s congressional delegation talks a lot about bringing manufacturing back to the U.S., and each of its members will find some evidence for their views. Senator Whitehouse says China pursues unfair trade practices; that’s part of it. Congressman Langevin says Rhode Islanders aren’t being educated and trained properly; that’s part of it. Congressman Cicilline says the federal government doesn’t support its manufacturing sector the same way China does; that’s part of it.
But reading The Times piece – which you should do – makes their proposals seem awfully inadequate to the scale of the challenge.
January 20th, 2012 at 9:35 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, the only member of Rhode Island’s congressional delegation who supports controversial anti-piracy legislation, said Thursday night he’s open to changing the bill.
“I’ve heard from many Rhode Islanders who are concerned about this bill and I share their desire to preserve the free and open nature of the Internet,” Whitehouse, who is in the Philippines with other senators, told WPRI.com in a statement. “I remain concerned about the effect of online piracy on jobs and consumer safety, and continue to support legislation to address this problem.”
“That said,” he continued, “I look forward to working with my colleagues to consider further improvements to the bill before a final vote is held – whether that happens next week or at a later date.” Whitehouse’s colleagues – Jack Reed, Jim Langevin and David Cicilline – say they also support the goal of cracking down on Internet piracy.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced Friday morning that he has decided to postpone Tuesday’s scheduled vote on the Senate anti-piracy bill, the Protect IP Act, in the hopes of finding “a compromise in the coming weeks.” Whitehouse has been a cosponsor of the bill since it was introduced last May.
Politico reported that the anti-piracy bills were “hanging on for dear life Thursday.”
Whitehouse’s Republican challenger, Barry Hinckley, criticized the senator’s support for the bill this week. Christopher McAuliffe, a spokesman for Hinckley, suggested “it makes more sense in light of the over $200,000 in campaign contributions Whitehouse has received from the entertainment industry.” Whitehouse’s allies dismiss that, pointing to his years in law enforcement and his concern with unfair economic competition from abroad.
• Related: Whitehouse bucks Wikipedia, stays sponsor of Protect IP Act (Jan. 18)
January 19th, 2012 at 11:44 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
Congressman David Cicilline is likely to hold onto his seat in November but faces more risk of losing than his colleague Jim Langevin, according to new House race rankings released Thursday by the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics.
Cicilline’s 1st Congressional District is among 94 U.S. House seats out of 435 rated as potentially competitive for the opposition party by the organization, whose director is the prominent political prognosticator Larry Sabato.
Cicilline’s seat is ranked as “likely Democratic,” which “effectively means that we are watching this race,” Kyle Kondik’s the center’s House editor, wrote in an analysis. Cicilline is being challenged by Republican Brendan Doherty, former superintendent of the state police, and may face a primary from businessman Anthony Gemma.
Langevin’s 2nd District is rated as “safe Democratic,” one of 341 seats where Republicans (189) or Democrats (152) face no risk of losing. In Massachusetts, the new 4th District seat being vacated by Barney Frank and sought by Joe Kennedy III is also rated “safe Democratic,” as is Congressman William Keating’s 9th District seat.
For Democrats to win 25 House seats and retake the House, “President Obama will need to win next year, and that probably won’t be enough,” Kondik wrote. ”What Democrats really need is a poisonous, damaged Republican nominee who not only loses to Obama but causes harm down the ticket.”
• Related: Forecast: Obama likely to win again in Rhode Island, Mass. (April 22)