Rhode Island Senate Primary, Chafee, Laffey, Whitehouse

DOWN TO THE WIRE

Big Contests Fuel New England Talk Radio




Part One


When hosting shows in New England, need a good topic? With campaign season now in high gear, it doesn't take much effort to find one:


In Rhode Island, the nation's most fascinating election contest is down to its final hours and talk radio has reaped the rewards. That's where liberal GOP Senator Lincoln Chafee is facing a heated primary challenge by conservative Cranston Mayor Stephen Laffey.

There are growing indications that Chafee may be knocked out of office by Laffey, a former WPRO-AM talk show host, on Tuesday.

What would happen in the general election, however, is another matter, as some polls show Laffey would be clobbered in November by liberal Democrat challenger Sheldon Whitehouse.

The Providence Journal has substantial coverage here.

But in a strange twist, noted here by the New York Times, the national GOP has spent millions to defend Chafee, while trashing Laffey at every turn. And from both sides, Providence television and radio stations are airing a near- non- stop series of attack ads:

With a barrage of television advertisements and the mobilization of its get-out-the-vote machine, the national Republican Party has lined up in Rhode Island to beat back a conservative primary challenge to the most liberal Republican in the Senate, Lincoln Chafee.


The outcome on Tuesday could help determine whether Democrats have a shot at taking back the Senate.

In an extraordinary pre-emptive announcement, the National Republican Senatorial Committee has said it will concede Rhode Island to the Democrats should Stephen Laffey, the mayor of Cranston, defeat Mr. Chafee in the primary. Citing poll data, Republican leaders said they saw no way someone as conservative as Mr. Laffey could win in a state as Democratic as this; as it is, they are increasingly worried about Mr. Chafee’s hopes in a general election.

The result has been the striking sight of the national Republican Party, dominated by conservatives, using resources to save the seat of a Republican who said he voted
against Mr. Bush in 2004. He chose instead to write in the name of the first President Bush.

Mr. Chafee has opposed many centerpiece Republican policies, from the war in Iraq to tax cuts to most restrictions on abortion. This week, he helped force a delay on the confirmation of John R. Bolton as the United States ambassador to the United Nations.

Laffey, however, has an engaging presence, impressing many who see him for the first time on television. Here's MSNBC's Chris Matthews (of all people) showering Laffey with praise during a recent interview:





But Laffey's strong opposition from the national GOP may very well help him going into November, as it allows him to campaign as an independent against an unpopular national party leadership. At the same time, Chafee's seemingly odd boost from the Republicans could hurt more than help in Rogue's Island.

Here's a recent Laffey ad that's been running on Providence television stations. Note the themes of spending, illegal immigration and gas prices:






Tuesday's wild card is the huge number of unenrolled (independent) voters, who can vote for any of these candidates. Will liberals cross over to vote for Laffey, hoping he will lose in November? Nobody's quite sure.

For a number of reasons, New Englanders are very rapidly abandoning both the Democrats and Republicans, to instead register as independents. How that will impact a number of contests this year isn't clear.


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Technorati tags: lincoln chafee sheldon whitehouse stephen laffey RI senate race rhode island talk radio wpro providence GOP