With Paul Roselli’s exit from the Democratic gubernatorial primary race, the field has narrowed somewhat as the deadline approaches for candidates to officially file if they intend on running for office in the upcoming election.
All candidates must file declarations of candidacy on either June 25, 26 or 27. The Secretary of State’s website has a detailed explanation of all filing and other requirements.
Roseilli, of Burrillville, was a first-time, poorly funded candidate, who was running primarily on an issue opposing the proposed power plant in Burrillville. He is a strong environmentalist, who has described himself as a progressive. He has said he will now run for state Senate.
He has also given his support to former Secretary of State Matt Brown, who initially said he was running as an Independent, but then decided to run in the crowded Democratic gubernatorial primary. In supporting Brown, Roselli indicated that his own politics line up closely with Brown’s, and also said he believes Gov. Gina Raimondo if she wins the primary election, will lose in November.
Besides Raimondo and Brown, former state Rep. Spencer Dickinson remains in the Democratic gubernatorial primary.
Raimondo is extremely well funded, with more than $4.3 million raised by the end of March. She has been running television advertisements that talk about Rhode Island’s economic progress, referencing a March Business Insider survey that said Rhode Island has the ninth-best economy in the United States. Surveys by other formidable organizations, like US News and World Report, Forbes, WalletHub, all have Rhode Island’s economy and business climate ranked much lower.
Brown has addressed numerous issues, and is a strong advocate for alternative energy sources, and investing in Rhode Island. He can be best characterized as a progressive.
Polls have shown Raimondo in a tight race with Republican Alan Fung, the Mayor of Cranston who lost to Ramondo four years ago by 4.5 percentage points. Raimondo won with 40.8 percent of the vote. To get to the general election, Fung must defeat House Minority Leader Patricia Morgan and former state Sen. Giovanni Feroce in the September primary.
There’s yet two other candidates, both running as Independents – former Republican state Rep. and President Trump’s co-election chair in Rhode Island, Joseph Trillo, and newcomer Luis-Daniel Munoz.