May 9th, 2013 at 12:49 pm by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes
By Ted Nesi
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – President Obama, Congressman David Cicilline and other Democrats were propelled to victory last November by a surge in voting by Hispanic and black Rhode Islanders as well as a sharp drop in participation among white citizens, a WPRI.com analysis of new Census data shows.
April 24th, 2013 at 12:51 pm by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes
By Dan McGowan
The executive director of Rhode Island’s beleaguered Republican Party has resigned, WPRI.com has learned.
Ann Clanton, who was appointed to the post in March 2012, left the party earlier this month after Mark Smiley won a controversial election to become chairman of the party. Clanton supported former Providence mayoral candidate Dan Harrop over Smiley in the chairman’s race.
Smiley told WPRI.com that lawyer Matthew Fabisch has been appointed interim executive director, but is not currently being paid. Campaign finance records show Clanton earned $2,500-per-month between May 2012 and Sept 2012, but did not collect a check from the party for the rest of the year.
March 25th, 2013 at 5:27 pm by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
By Dan McGowan
Outgoing GOP chairman Mark Zaccaria is making few friends as he prepares for his departure.
In e-mails obtained by WPRI.com, several leading Republican officials ripped Zaccaria’s decision to name Mark Smiley the party’s new chairman after he nullified a vote taken last week. Zaccaria originally continued the inconclusive contest between Smiley and former Providence mayoral candidate Dan Harrop until an April meeting, but changed his decision over the weekend.
“Why [would you] think you could reopen the process as though we were still waiting for a count,” state Representative Joe Trillo wrote in an email to Zaccaria. “I believe that is unacceptable, unethical, and wrong. You set a date for a new election you must conduct a new election for chair.”
Zaccaria has said “detailed investigations” into the voting process proved that Smiley won the election by one vote. He did not wish to comment on the e-mails he received, but told WPRI.com the party’s rules committee plans to consider a challenge from Harrop at a Wednesday meeting.
After the jump, check out Trillo’s complete message as well as several other complaints sent to Zaccaria over the weekend. (more…)
March 21st, 2013 at 9:44 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes
By Dan McGowan
A former Providence mayoral candidate will square off with the head of the state’s Republican Chair’s Caucus on Thursday as the R.I. Republican Party prepares to elect its third chairman in two years.
Dan Harrop, a doctor who was trounced by incumbent Mayor David Cicilline in 2006, and Mark Smiley, who is viewed as a leader within the more conservative faction of the state GOP, are running to replace Mark Zaccaria, who announced his plans to step down following an election season that saw the party lose seven seats in the General Assembly and all three of its federal races.
So who is the favorite? After the jump, read the major endorsements for each candidate. (more…)
March 17th, 2013 at 10:18 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes
February 28th, 2013 at 9:44 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
By Ted Nesi
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – More than half of Rhode Island voters support allowing same-sex marriage in the state, while most opponents of the idea say it conflicts with their religious beliefs, according to a new poll released Thursday by Brown University.
The poll also found Gov. Lincoln Chafee’s approval rating is a dismal 26%. ”Lincoln Chafee still has not been able to move his numbers after over two years as governor,” WPRI 12 political analyst Joe Fleming said.
January 27th, 2013 at 5:00 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
January 24th, 2013 at 11:05 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
Rhode Island’s House of Representatives will gather at 4 p.m. for a historic vote to legalize same-sex marriage. It will almost certainly mark the first time either chamber of the General Assembly backs the idea. (WPRI will stream the debate live online.)
While there’s no doubt the issue remains controversial, polling suggests House lawmakers will be acting in line with public opinion if it approves gay marriage today.
Last September, a WPRI 12 poll showed same-sex marriage enjoys significant support among Rhode Islanders, with 56% of voters in favor of legalization, 36% opposed and 8% unsure.
Support for same-sex marriage is fairly broad among different types of voters, with one exception: Republicans. Rhode Island GOP voters are the only group that has a majority against legalization, with 59% opposed (and 40% strongly opposed). Voters ages 60 and older are closely split, with 49% of seniors in favor and 43% opposed.
January 19th, 2013 at 4:19 pm by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
By Dan McGowan
Republican former state representative and congressional candidate John Loughlin will host a Saturday morning radio show on WPRO beginning next weekend, WPRI.com has learned.
Loughlin was a regular fill-in host on WPRO throughout much of 2012 and assisted with the station’s election coverage late last year.
The 53-year-old, who returned from active duty in Iraq in December 2011, surprised supporters last January when he opted against a rematch versus Democratic Congressman David Cicilline, who defeated Loughlin by six percentage points in 2010.
Loughlin’s new show follows the move of former Saturday WPRO host Gene Valicenti to the station’s weekday morning slot, where he replaced Tara Granahan and Andrew Gobeil. Granahan remains with the station as assistant program director; Gobeil was let go.
WPRO program director Craig Schwalb did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Dan McGowan ( dmcgowan@wpri.com ) covers politics and the city of Providence for WPRI.com. Follow him on Twitter: @danmcgowan
January 11th, 2013 at 11:32 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
In response to this morning’s post about the GOP in blue states, a reader named “RInative” offered an insightful comment about the Rhode Island party’s plight and what it should do next – good enough to run in full here:
Mr. Graham offers up a good solution but I am not certain it would work in RI because it says “spend money” and it’s a documented fact that RIGOP is incapable of raising it. No one gives to the state party because with the exception of the brief Ken McKay era, it has been run badly for the past 20 years. The Almond and Carcieri teams invested no effort in building the party and developing a “bench” so there are few Rhode Island Republicans with any real political experience unless they’ve worked elsewhere – or for Democrats. Another problem for the RIGOP – because there are so few R electeds – and the GOP stain is so bad – the very thin GOP bench can’t find work here and so they leave – Ken McKay is the best example, but just last week, Doherty’s manager, Ian Prior, took a job in DC. The talented people who remain here and lean Republican try to make a living while avoiding the GOP label and anything to do with party politics.
So essentially the RIGOP has no money and no talent. So where to? The mayors are the one bright spot – Fung, Fontaine and Avedesian. They have all been good in their roles but none has the star power to contend in a governor’s race. Kilmartin looks comfortable in the AG role and it would be hard to displace him on performance at this point. I think that there’s hope for the RIGOP in three races: Treasurer, Secretary of State and Lt Governor. With the exception of the master lever pullers, Rhode Islanders have always been ticket-splitters – especially outside of the cities – so it’s not hard to see how these statewide offices are winnable. The key for GOP candidates is to get in the races early with a well-defined platform so the can lay out their ideas and don’t get lost in the noise around a D primary. The party would also do well to recruit Catherine Taylor to run again and work with her to build a strong group of women candidates for GA seats.
I don’t think RIGOP should focus on Governor’s race – it has not helped the party in the past and it takes all the strength out of the base. If a self-funded candidate comes along – great – but at this point he would be a sacrificial lamb. (And let’s agree to stop saying that Robitaille “came close”. Yes, he grabbed the whopping R base and came in 2nd in a 4 way – which is actually equivalent to coming in 2nd in a 2 way.)
The previous comment addresses some of the issues – and I will agree that to the extent RIGOP can distance itself from the national party, the better off it will be. However, until RIGOP can build itself up by fielding successful moderate candidates – and 2014 may be the last chance – the national issues are almost irrelevant in state and local races.
Agree? Disagree? Not sure? Share your own thoughts below.
• Related: Lessons from the blue states as RI Republicans prepare for ’14 (Jan. 11)
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 8th, 2013 at 11:27 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
Campaigns & Elections, the bimonthly magazine for political practitioners, is out with a new list it calls “The Influencers 500″ that documents “some of the top names in the consulting business state by state.” Here’s who made the list for Rhode Island.
The Democrats:
The Republicans:
Who’d be on your list?
December 30th, 2012 at 5:00 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
December 27th, 2012 at 5:00 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
Rhode Island’s Republican Party took it on the chin last month, once again failing to win a single federal or statewide office and managing to lose seven of their 18 seats in the General Assembly. Perhaps that shouldn’t be a surprise, since just 10% of Rhode Island voters are registered Republicans.
If it’s any consolation, Rhode Island Republicans aren’t alone in their troubles – at least two other state GOPs are reeling in the aftermath of this year’s voting. The Boston Phoenix’s David Bernstein reports on the Massachusetts Republican Party’s problems:
But this year, there’s something different about the postmortems, in the wake of Scott Brown’s eight-point loss for re-election to the US Senate and Richard Tisei’s narrow defeat to Congressman John Tierney.
This time, it’s GOP insiders and officeholders in the state suggesting that their cause is hopeless — that their numerical and institutional disadvantages just might mean that they simply cannot win, beyond a small smattering of state legislative districts and countywide law-enforcement positions. …
The defeatism within the party suggests that top-flight candidates might be hard to recruit. If so, the Democrats’ stranglehold on the state will only tighten. And we will look back at 2012 as the year the MassGOP surrendered.
On the West Coast, Politico’s Charlie Mahtesian reports on the California Republican Party’s drubbing:
Just when it looked like things couldn’t get any worse for Republicans in California, it appears they did. And at the congressional level, there are still three uncalled House races where GOP incumbents are trailing their Democratic challengers with 100 percent of the votes in. …
The presidential exit polls paint an especially grim picture that suggests the state won’t be competitive in any way for a long time. Obama won every income group, every education group, big and small cities, suburbs and independents.
One point that stands out in all three cases is that the occasional election of a prominent Republican officeholder isn’t necessarily a signal that the state party’s long-term prospects are improving.
December 13th, 2012 at 4:14 pm by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
Will Massachusetts have six U.S. Senate elections in the space of eight years?
It certainly looks possible after Thursday afternoon’s announcement that Susan Rice is withdrawing from consideration as President Obama’s next secretary of state, opening the door for the president to appoint Mass. U.S. Sen. John Kerry.
If Kerry gets the job, Massachusetts could have a special election as soon as June to fill Kerry’s seat for the reminder of his term, which ends in January 2015. Potential candidates include a long list of Democrats – though not Congressman-elect Joe Kennedy III – and Republicans Scott Brown or Bill Weld.
A special election next year would be the fifth time Massachusetts residents have gone to the polls to choose a U.S. senator since November 2006.
Bay State voters re-elected Ted Kennedy for the final time that year, then re-elected Kerry in 2008, elected Scott Brown to finish Kennedy’s term in 2010, and replaced Brown with Elizabeth Warren last month. And special election or not, they will vote for U.S. senator again in 2014 when Kerry’s current term ends.
(photo: AP/Gerald Herbert)
December 12th, 2012 at 2:29 pm by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
Catherine Terry Taylor could be a candidate for secretary of state again in two years.
“I have thought about it,” Taylor told WPRI.com on Tuesday. She currently works as Governor Chafee’s director of elderly affairs. “I would love to do it again but I can’t do any planning for it as long as I have this job,” she said. “I love this job. That’s really the status right now.”
Taylor, a Republican, ran a stronger-than-expected campaign against incumbent Democrat Ralph Mollis in 2010 on a platform that emphasized open government and clean elections. She raised $119,432 and received more votes than any other Republican on the ticket, losing by a narrow margin of 50.6% to 49.4%.
Taylor said she thinks there’s plenty of time before a candidate would need to get in. “I made the decision to run last time on the last possible day,” she said, adding that her experience and name recognition from the last campaign would be helpful. But, she said, “It really is too far away.”
With Mollis barred from seeking another term, a long list of Democrats are being mentioned as potential candidates for the secretary of state nomination, including R.I. Democratic Party Chairman Ed Pacheco, Providence City Councilman Terrence Hassett, Pawtucket Sen. Jamie Doyle, Providence Sen. Juan Pichardo and Jamestown Rep. Deborah Ruggiero.
Taylor said her timing for entering the race will depend on the situation at the Division of Elderly Affairs. “For me it’s just a matter of where I can be of most use to the people of Rhode Island, and right now I think I’m able to have an effect for them and I’m really grateful for that,” she said.
(photo: Taylor campaign)
November 7th, 2012 at 2:24 pm by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
November 7th, 2012 at 1:57 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
Rhode Islanders all but pulled the plug on the local Republican Party in Tuesday’s election.
Democratic Congressman David Cicilline, written off by many after a February WPRI 12 poll showed him down 15 points, won a decisive re-election victory over Republican challenger Brendan Doherty. Cicilline is only 51 years old; barring a major scandal or other surprise, he can probably represent the 1st District for as many years as he likes. U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressman Jim Langevin won easily, as well, so the same goes for them.
The more surprising results came in the General Assembly races, where Republicans took an unexpected beating. Considering how tiny the Assembly’s GOP caucuses already were, it’s astonishing that they managed to lose ground. As of this writing, Republicans have lost nearly half their state Senate seats – three out of eight – and three of their 10 seats in the House of Representatives. Strong challengers such as Donald Fox in Burrillville also fell short despite high hopes.
November 5th, 2012 at 10:22 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
In my column on Saturday, I mentioned a group of Rhode Island Republicans who’ve taken “pro-choice and pro-gay-marriage” positions during this election season, breaking with the party’s usual positions on the issues. However, the column likely left the wrong impression about one of the four, Barbara Ann Fenton.
Fenton, who made a name for herself at the Republican National Convention, is not in favor of legalized abortion except in cases of rape or incest, and she’s not in favor of gay marriage, as she clarified in an email. “I’m for the government recognizing civil unions for ALL couples, and then your church can recognize the sacrament of marriage, however they want to define it.”
The error was entirely mine, and my apologies to Babara Ann for the mistake.
October 28th, 2012 at 10:23 pm by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
He’s back. Sort of.
Ken McKay, the former Republican National Committee official who briefly chaired the state GOP last year, is also the creator of People’s Majority, a super PAC created after the Citizens United decision that re-emerged this month – apparently to go after U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse.
People’s Majority attacked Whitehouse on Sunday with a new 30-second attack ad that aired on WPRI 12 during halftime of the Patriots-Rams game, one of the highest-rated broadcasts of the week. The commercial repeated disputed allegations of insider trading against Whitehouse, who had a big lead over Republican challenger Barry Hinckley as of last month.
Cabell Hobbs replaced McKay as the treasurer of People’s Majority at some point last year, Federal Election Commission filings show.
October 28th, 2012 at 1:18 pm by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes
October 27th, 2012 at 4:38 pm by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
Republican Brendan Doherty’s team thinks he’s now leading Democratic incumbent David Cicilline in the 1st Congressional District. Unsurprisingly, Cicilline’s campaign strongly disagrees.
A survey commissioned by the Republican’s campaign and released Saturday afternoon shows Doherty at 45%, Cicilline at 39% and independent David Vogel at 6%, with 11% of voters undecided. The telephone interview poll of 400 likely voters was conducted Wednesday and Thursday. The margin of error is plus or minus 5.9 percentage points.
The poll was conducted by OnMessage Inc., a GOP consulting firm employed by Doherty’s campaign that previously worked for former Gov. Donald Carcieri. The question is whether it’s accurate. The OnMessage poll’s findings are far from outside the realm of possibility, but there are two reasons to be somewhat skeptical.
First, the firm didn’t release the party affiliation of its voting sample, which is a concern because its Sept. 13-14 poll may have interviewed too few Democrats to accurately capture the district. Second, the poll shows Mitt Romney winning 34% of the vote in the 1st District, which is 7 points better than his showing in the Sept. 26-29 WPRI 12 poll. It’s possible Romney has seen a significant bounce in the staunchly Democratic district over the last month, but far from certain.
The picture should become clearer when the new WPRI 12 poll is released next week. Roll Call’s Joshua Miller has more on the OnMessage survey. Separately on Saturday, Cicilline’s campaign sent out a recorded phone call with Bill Clinton endorsing Cicilline to 50,000 voters in the district. Listen here.
• Related: GOP to spend $280K on TV push (Oct. 26) | Dems counter GOP with $315K ad buy (Oct. 26)
October 26th, 2012 at 4:34 pm by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
The cost of the air war in Rhode Island’s 1st Congressional District jumped by more than half-a-million dollars on Friday as national Democrats moved to blunt their Republican counterparts in their push to save Democratic Congressman David Cicilline from defeat on Nov. 6.
A Democratic source confirmed Friday that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee will spend $315,000 on a new round of TV commercials starting Tuesday to aid Cicilline. The Democrats’ buy was placed just hours after the National Republican Congressional Committee revealed it will spend $280,000 on a final round of commercials to help Doherty.
DCCC spokesman Josh Schwerin declined to provide specific numbers but acknowledged a new ad was coming. “We won’t let Washington Republicans’ lies go unanswered and will continue to hold Brendan Doherty accountable for supporting the extreme Republican agenda,” Schwerin told WPRI.com on Friday afternoon.
Both the NRCC and DCCC purchases are “independent expenditures,” meaning they are not being coordinated with the Cicilline and Doherty campaigns directly and will be new spots produced by the committees.
Separately on Friday, the Rothenberg Political Report changed its rating on the 1st District in Cicilline’s favor, moving it from “Toss-up/Tilt Democrat” to “Lean Democrat.”
• Related: GOP to spend $280K on TV push (Oct. 26) | Doherty has twice Cicilline’s cash (Oct. 25)
October 26th, 2012 at 10:50 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
• Update: DCCC counters with $315K TV buy (Oct. 26)
Republicans have said for weeks they don’t believe the hype that Democratic Congressman David Cicilline is pulling away from GOP challenger Brendan Doherty. Now they’re putting their money where their mouths are.
The National Republican Congressional Committee confirmed Friday it will spend $280,000 on a final round of television commercials to air during the closing week of Rhode Island’s 1st Congressional District race, enough to buy 1,000 gross rating points. The ads will air Oct. 30 to Nov. 6.
“We think Brendan Doherty is in a very strong position, and this expenditure demonstrates our financial commitment to holding David Cicilline accountable for his record, which is wrong for Rhode Island,” NRCC spokesman Nat Sillin told WPRI.com on Friday.
The national GOP’s decision to go up in the 1st District during the homestretch shows Doherty won’t suffer the same fate as John Loughlin, who lost to Cicilline in 2010 by only six points but never received significant support from the NRCC.
October 22nd, 2012 at 12:17 pm by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
Is Rhode Island’s quiet U.S. Senate race getting tighter? One Republican pollster thinks so.
A survey conducted Oct. 11 by GOP polling firm McLaughlin & Associates [pdf] shows Democratic incumbent Sheldon Whitehouse at 49% and Republican Barry Hinckley at 41%, with 10% of voters undecided. The telephone interview poll of 300 likely voters has a margin of error of plus or minus 5.6 points.
The 8-point gap between Whitehouse and Hinckley in the McLaughlin poll is much closer than in recent polls from WPRI 12, which had Hinckley down 26 points, and Brown University, which showed the Republican trailing by 29 points. Hinckley was 16 points behind Whitehouse in a July 18 McLaughlin poll.
The McLaughlin poll was released by People’s Majority, a super PAC created after the Citizens United decision by Ken McKay, the former Rhode Island Republican Party chairman and Republican National Committee chief of staff. The reemergence of People’s Majority on Oct. 9 was first noted by OpenSecrets.org.
Whitehouse and Hinckley will debate live for the first time Tuesday at 7 p.m. on WPRI 12. McLaughlin & Associates did not release the full poll results but rather just a one-page summary. The firm was Republican Catherine Taylor’s pollster during her strong bid for secretary of state in 2010.
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.
September 13th, 2012 at 12:01 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
The hits just keep on coming.
House Republicans’ campaign arm, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), unveiled a new Web ad on Thursday that declares Congressman David Cicilline one of “the 10 most corrupt Democrats of 2012″ for allegedly orchestrating “a massive cover-up” of Providence’s financial crisis.
The ad shows Cicilline’s successor as mayor of Providence, Angel Taveras, announcing at a famous press conference he’d discovered “a category five” hurricane in Providence’s books – set against the backdrop of an actual hurricane. “David Cicilline’s irresponsibility and dishonesty left Rhode Island families to clean up the disastrous financial mess he created as the mayor of Providence,” Paul Lindsay, the NRCC’s communications director, said in a statement. “David Cicilline can no longer be trusted.”
The NRCC ad echoes comments made by Republican Brendan Doherty on Wednesday, the day after Cicilline won a decisive primary victory over Anthony Gemma. Cicilline campaign manager Eric Hyers has characterized the GOP charges as “tired, vicious and personal attacks.”
“Doherty is a Romney Republican who is on the wrong side of virtually every issue important to Rhode Islanders,” he said in a statement earlier this week. “He wants to continue giving tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires, is pro-life while David is pro-choice, and wants to raise the Social Security eligibility age for working men and women in our state.”
Update: The Cicilline campaign has begun airing its own TV ad attacking Doherty for supporting Republican policies. Watch the 30-second spot here.
August 29th, 2012 at 3:03 pm by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
The Rhode Island delegation to the Republican National Convention, led by Party Chairman Mark Zaccaria and Cranston Mayor Allan Fung, cast the state’s votes for Mitt Romney and Ron Paul on Tuesday in Tampa. Click the photo to watch their moment in the sun – including a Del’s reference – thanks to CSPAN:
August 27th, 2012 at 9:50 pm by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes
By Ted Nesi and Walt Buteau
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – More than half of Anthony Gemma’s supporters will desert the Democratic Party and vote for Republican Brendan Doherty if incumbent David Cicilline is the party’s congressional candidate, an exclusive WPRI 12 poll released Monday night shows.
• Related: New WPRI 12 Poll: Cicilline 43%, Gemma 31%, undecided 17% (Aug. 27)
August 21st, 2012 at 6:57 pm by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
Let there be no doubt: Washington Republicans are increasingly confident that Brendan Doherty will unseat Congressman David Cicilline in the November election.
Texas Congressman Pete Sessions singled out Cicilline – without naming him – as one of the most endangered Democrats in the nation during a national TV interview taped Tuesday for C-SPAN’s Newsmakers and first reported by Charlie Mahtesian, Politico’s national politics editor.
Sessions – who is chairman of the House GOP’s campaign arm, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) – made his comments in response to a question from Mahtesian: “What Democrat is not coming back to the 113th Congress because Republicans are going to defeat him or her?”
Sessions first mentioned districts in Georgia and North Carolina, then continued: “I would focus on, probably, the Northeast. We have a candidate that is in Massachusetts, we have one in Rhode Island, that are Republicans who are running ahead of their Democrat incumbent at this time.” He also mentioned California.