Rhode Island: Chafee will likely run for Governor, Laffey and Cicilline out

[Verily]

Lincoln Chafee will run for the governorship as an independent in 2010. His path is pretty clear right now, as prominent Democrat David Cicilline (mayor of Providence and easily the best candidate the Democrats could have run) has bowed out to run for re-election, as has conservative firebrand Steve Laffey who almost knocked Chafee out in the primary in 2006 before Chafee lost his Senate seat in the general election. The Democrats will be stuck with a machine hack, and the Republicans will nominate a nobody.

I'd have to put this race at at least Lean Independent. I must say I'm looking forward to a Chafee governorship.

http://www.wrni.org/blog/ian-donnis/chafee-verge

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Easily lean Independent.  The question is, will he break 40%?

[Verily]

He could win over 50%. With Chafee in, the Republicans clearly stand no chance, so the battle is all the Democrats against Chafee. This means all but the really diehard conservative Republicans (the sort who voted for Laffey in the 2006 primary, but even some of those will switch) will vote for Chafee instead of their own candidate.

But Chafee has an absurdly high approval rating for someone who lost re-election, so it's hard to see him doing worse than 45% or so, which is almost certainly enough to defeat the Democrat (looking like Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts at this point).

[Keystone Phil]

Here's hoping the Dems find a good candidate.

I figured Laffey was definitely going for it until I read on his Wiki page or something that he decided awhile ago that he has had enough with the process.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

I wonder how much he hangs out with Lowell Weicker.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

He could win over 50%. With Chafee in, the Republicans clearly stand no chance, so the battle is all the Democrats against Chafee. This means all but the really diehard conservative Republicans (the sort who voted for Laffey in the 2006 primary, but even some of those will switch) will vote for Chafee instead of their own candidate.

So, could we see something like Lieberman '06, with a 50-40-10 result?

[Eraserhead]

I'll almost certainly support him. He'd make an excellent governor and I had hoped for a while now that he would run.

[Speed of Sound]

Fantastic to hear! I think that an independent thinker like Chafee will be good as a Governor, and people love a good Indepedent victory story (when the Indy is actually viable, like here).

[Holmes]

Fully endorsed!

Now that Cicilline isn't running, there's not really a Democrat I can get behind.

[© tweed]

it'll be nice to see the anti-cancer patient hack that is in the mansion now depart.

[justfollowingtheelections]

Chafee will win.  He's still very popular in RI.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Here's hoping the Dems find a good candidate.

[Marokai Backbeat]

I'll almost certainly support him. He'd make an excellent governor and I had hoped for a while now that he would run.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

I'm not sure why I'm the only person who sees Chafee to be as dumb as a rock.  I didn't like him much as a Republican, I didn't like him much as a Indy, and I wouldn't imagine liking him if he ever became a Democrat (which certainly doesn't seem out of the question).

[Rob]

I'll probably support Chafee...

[Joe Biden 2020]

I'll almost certainly support him. He'd make an excellent governor and I had hoped for a while now that he would run.

^^^^^^^^^^^^

[WalterMitty]

I'm not sure why I'm the only person who sees Chafee to be as dumb as a rock.  I didn't like him much as a Republican, I didn't like him much as a Indy, and I wouldn't imagine liking him if he ever became a Democrat (which certainly doesn't seem out of the question).

i dont know if he is dumb.  he seems to be painfully shy and awkward.

anyway.  i dont care for him.  i used to like him.  now he is just a pathetic whiner.

[Eraserhead]

Chafee as a Governor >>>> Chafee as a Senator

[Landslide Lyndon]

Do you think that his status of an early Obama backer will affect the race?

We all remember that Bush and the Connecticut GOP declined to support their senatorial candidate in 2006, while they covertly backed Lieberman's ''independent'' bid.

[Lief 🗽]

Well, this thread is just full of moderate heroes, ain't it?

That said, I strongly support him.

[Lunar]

I don't know, he's strongly pro-choice, pro-environmental regulations, pro-gay rights, anti-death penalty, pro-estate tax, anti-Iraq War, pro-raising the min. wage, pro-affirmative action, and pro-gun control.

He has like two conservative positions, being pro-free trade and supporting the PATRIOT Act. He is generally probably somewhere to the left of conservative Democratic Senators on economics, but I could see why a libertarian-leaning forum would prefer him over Generic Rhode Island Democrat #8.

[Holmes]

I don't know, he's strongly pro-choice, pro-environmental regulations, pro-gay rights, anti-death penalty, pro-estate tax, anti-Iraq War, pro-raising the min. wage, pro-affirmative action, and pro-gun control.

Are you saying those are bad things? This is Rhode Island here...

[Lunar]

I was commenting on the post above

[Kaine for Senate '18]

I don't know, he's strongly pro-choice, pro-environmental regulations, pro-gay rights, anti-death penalty, pro-estate tax, anti-Iraq War, pro-raising the min. wage, pro-affirmative action, and pro-gun control.

He has like two conservative positions, being pro-free trade and supporting the PATRIOT Act. He is generally probably somewhere to the left of conservative Democratic Senators on economics, but I could see why a libertarian-leaning forum would prefer him over Generic Rhode Island Democrat #8.

Maybe I won't support him, actually.

[Zarn]

I don't know, he's strongly pro-choice, pro-environmental regulations, pro-gay rights, anti-death penalty, pro-estate tax, anti-Iraq War, pro-raising the min. wage, pro-affirmative action, and pro-gun control.

He has like two conservative positions, being pro-free trade and supporting the PATRIOT Act. He is generally probably somewhere to the left of conservative Democratic Senators on economics, but I could see why a libertarian-leaning forum would prefer him over Generic Rhode Island Democrat #8.

I don't like his policies.