So this is what happens when a third-party candidate gets elected to statewide office. :/
I'm disappointed to see this. I supported him for the election.
Nah, third party candidates (Ventura, King, Sanders) can be effective and popular politicians in their states. Chafee does have two years to recover but he needs to carve out a base.
Ventura, King and Sanders are some combination of charismatic or quirky. Lincoln Chafee is as bland as baked chicken at a country club dinner party. He's benefited from a lot of name recognition (his dad was a Rockefeller Republican Senator for several decades before he died and his son was appointed to replace him). I remember reading an article about his '06 re-election campaign that talked about how he just sort of stood off to the side at a campaign meet-and-greet and didn't really interact with anybody.
