EDITORIAL

Either way, race for governor will make history

Posted 9/11/14

The first Asian-American governor, or the first woman governor – either way, Rhode Island voters will make history on Nov. 4.

Cranston Mayor Allan Fung defeated Ken Block in Tuesday’s primary …

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EDITORIAL

Either way, race for governor will make history

Posted

The first Asian-American governor, or the first woman governor – either way, Rhode Island voters will make history on Nov. 4.

Cranston Mayor Allan Fung defeated Ken Block in Tuesday’s primary to win the Republican nomination, while General Treasurer Gina Raimondo topped Providence Mayor Angel Taveras and newcomer Clay Pell to earn the Democratic nod.

Both won by reasonably comfortably margins – Raimondo in particular – after months of hard-fought campaigning and uncertainty over the eventual outcome. They emerge battle-tested, and each surely sees a path to victory in November.

While the Democratic hopefuls took off the gloves late in the race, the contest between Block and Fung was contentious almost from the start.

The Cranston mayor has taken hits based on issues in his home community over recent months – primarily centered on the controversy that has surrounded the city’s Police Department – and Block readily and repeatedly used those developments to attack his opponent. Whether Raimondo takes up the same line of criticism – and whether it resonates with voters – will be a key question in the campaign.

Raimondo faces a similar challenge with regard to the 2011 pension overhaul she championed. Many public unions harbor bitter feelings toward the general treasurer, and it seems clear that her road to the nomination would have been far less certain had Taveras and Pell not split the opposition vote.

That union animosity – coupled with Raimondo’s venture capital background – has the potential to fracture Democratic support, although some independents and Republicans will likely be drawn to Raimondo because of her record on the pension issue.

However it plays out, public pensions will undoubtedly be front and center in the race. Fung, who touts his own record of reforming pensions and moving city employees to 401(k) accounts in Cranston, was sharply critical of the since-failed agreement the state and unions reached to settle legal challenges to the 2011 reform and other laws. And those cases have now returned to litigation, which is expected to continue this fall.

Ultimately, the governor’s race may come down to resources and voter mobilization. Fung, as the only candidate who has elected to take public funds for his campaign, will receive a needed infusion of resources, but he faces a formidable fundraiser in Raimondo. Both candidates are proven vote-getters with potential crossover appeal.

The primary is past. Election day is less than eight weeks away. And the Fung-Raimondo race is set. Rhode Island is getting ready to make history.

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  • JohnStark

    Not sure that one's ethnicity or gender matters to most people other than identity politics bean-counters on the left. I was a fan of Raimondo's until her campaign took a hard left on social issues, and it appears she now supports abortion until the child is age 7. Having a venture capital background means she generated jobs for people, as well as investment returns. Only in RI, with it's deeply-held class envy, would this be a problem. Defined contribution plans are way overdue in the public sector.

    Tuesday, September 16, 2014 Report this