Joe Biden headlines RI Democrat rally

October 1, 2018 12:11 am

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Former Vice President Joe Biden endorsed Governor Gina Raimondo and Rhode Island’s democrat congressional delegation at a rally Sunday evening.

Biden gave a lengthy, impassioned speech – painting a bleak state of affairs in America and criticizing the Trump administration.

“This [mid-term] election is bigger than politics,” he told the estimated 1,100 people in the crowd. “That’s not a hyperbole, it’s bigger than politics. The core values that built this country are at risk.”

Biden touched on everything from Charlottesville to the supreme court nomination as he urged people to vote democrat. He decried republican efforts to eliminate President Obama’s Affordable Care Act, while praising RI’s congressional delegation for standing up for it.

“The American I.D. is being challenged again now,” he said. “We’re facing a historic moment.”

Biden also applauded Raimondo’s free tuition CCRI plan and her RhodeWorks infrastructure plan, saying her character is her greatest accomplishment: “Think of how desperately in need of character we are, in both political parties these days.”

Even though Biden spent the night stumping for others, people ABC6 News caught up with want him to run in 2020, including Annika Hagley of Barrington. “I think Joe Biden is just the epitome of decency and would really be the perfect choice to be the antidote to everything that’s happened in the last two years,” she said.

Meanwhile, critics feel Biden’s plug won’t help Raimondo. Republican National Committee Spokesperson Ellie Hockenbury released a statement: “Gina Raimondo is clearly in need of a campaign boost and is hoping Joe Biden can help. After surviving a challenge from her own party in the primary, Raimondo continues to struggle today, with a plurality of voters believing Rhode Island is heading in the wrong direction. Bringing in the former vice president to offer support is not enough to make voters forget that her first term has been plagued with scandals while the state loses jobs. Reckless Raimondo’s failed record speaks for itself, and Rhode Islanders will be ready to make a change this November.”