Dee from the Desk: Blurring Political Boundaries

Voters, this is not the same Rhode Island anymore.

In front of the Federal Hill law offices of prominent Democrats Frank & John Lombardi sits an Ernie Almonte for Treasurer Sign; the AFL-CIO is not ruling out support for Republican Lt. Governor candidate Catherine Taylor; Independent Buddy Cianci has been endorsed by the Providence Teachers Union over his Democratic Opponent Jorge Elorza; and Republican Allan Fung is attacking his Democratic Opponent Gina Raimondo for her alleged ties to Wall Street.

It seems Democrats are now having an easier time looking outside their party to other options and Republicans are swerving away from the hard-line right and into the center. Rhode Island Democrats appear to be getting more fiscally conservative while Republicans are leaning more toward the left, and for the first time Independents like Ernie Almonte have become viable candidates for both Democrats and Republicans.

For instance, let’s look at the Lt. Governor’s race, while the AFL-CIO condemned the candidacy of Democrat Dan Mckee, the current Mayor of Cumberland, they were considering supporting Republican Catherine Taylor. This is primarily due to her opposition to right to work laws. Despite her pro-union stance, Taylor is still embraced by the Republican Party. Then there is Dan McKee, who advocated for Mayoral Academies and as a result has been a target for the teacher unions. Despite his more conservative approach, McKee was able to overcome Ralph Mollis in a Democratic Primary. McKee is known for some of his more conservative leanings and Taylor is known for being one of the more moderate Republicans.

In the governor’s race, it is Republican Allan Fung who is pointing at Democrat Gina Raimondo for her “connection to Wall Street,” when typically this would be a Democrat move. Not to mention another bullet has been taken from the traditional Democratic arsenal; the pro-choice card. Typically, Democrats are able to take Republicans on for their stances on social issues. When accepting the endorsement of Planned Parenthood Rhode Island Raimondo attempted to challenge Fung for his stance on women’s issues saying Fung was a step back for women and didn’t support their reproductive rights. The only problem is Fung too is known to be pro-choice. Raimondo pointed to the fact that she and Fung disagreed on the Hobby Lobby decision. The landmark decision allows for-profit corporations to be exempt to a law that its owners object to on religious ground. Here, Hobby Lobby was allowed to be exempt from a mandate under the Affordable Care Act requiring employers to cover female contraceptives.

Fung supports the decision, Raimondo does not but ultimately both candidates support the Supreme Court’s decisions in the Roe vs. Wade case. The fact that the argument is now who is more pro-choice and not pro-choice vs. pro-life also constitutes a variation from past Rhode Island political debates. Ultimately, the governor’s view on issues such as abortion matter very little since that is a matter that has been determined by the Supreme Court or the U.S. Congress. At the same time it is an issue that is very important to many Rhode Islanders who would feel more comfortable electing a candidate that they can see eye-to-eye with.

Also in the Governor’s race, a coalition called “Democrats for Healey” has over 700 Facebook “likes.” Bob Healey, the Moderate Party candidate, has often been favored by conservatives who supported his run for Lt. Governor on the grounds of abolishing the office to save the state money. The “Democrats for Healey” coalition even has an upcoming event a Town Hall Lanes in Johnston, a bowling ally fitting for the event since it is owned by Democratic State Representative Frank Ferri.

Then there is the interesting predicament of Democrats leaving their party’s candidate, Seth Magaziner behind and supporting Independent Ernie Almonte. Almonte started out as a Democrat and made inroads within the party before unaffiliating and becoming an Independent on the grounds that he feels Rhode Island needs an independent voice in the Treasurer’s Office.

With Democrat Frank Caprio falling in the primary, some key Democrats are looking to Almonte as an alternative to Magaziner. In fact, Almonte has grabbed some key union endorsements that usually go to the Democratic candidate, including Local 94 (the state Carpenters Union), the Rhode Island Brother Hood of Correctional Officers and the State Firefighters Association.

And in Providence Unions are also abandoning their typical Democrat endorsements and aligning themselves with Independent Buddy Cianci. This includes the Providence Teachers Union and the city fire fighter and police unions.

This election seems to be obscuring the traditional political roles that have governed politics in Rhode Island. For once it seems like Rhode Islanders, coalitions, groups, and unions are more focused on the candidate themselves and less concerned with the traditional boundaries of politics; party lines. 

Dee DeQuattro is the assignment desk manager and digital news coordinator for ABC6. She studied politics and communications and holds a master’s degree from Providence College. Follow her on twitter @deedequattro and log on to ABC6 .com for her latest in depth coverage of politics and news.