Take a deep breath Rhode Island. It’s been a crazy couple of days in state politics.
First, word broke that longtime Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian would step down to become the head of the state’s public transit agency, RIPTA. Now, a former governor and former U.S. senator, Lincoln Chafee, says he is “90 percent” sure he will mount a primary challenge against Democratic U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse.Rhode Island Public Radio’s political analyst, Scott MacKay, discusses the latest developments, and what they mean for the Democratic party.
But wait, as they say, there’s more. Matt Brown, a former Rhode Island secretary of state, has officially decided to run for governor as a Democrat, increasing the primary pressure on incumbent Gina Raimondo.
Oh, and did I mention that Democratic House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello has been ordered to pay back more than $70,000 for a campaign ethics lapse? Yeah, that happened this week too, and it’s only Wednesday.
Rhode Island Public Radio’s political analyst, Scott MacKay, says it’s going to be a very interesting campaign season in The Ocean State.