Political expert identifies his frontrunners in RI CD1 special election

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — With 35 candidates vying for former Congressman David Cicilline’s seat in Washington D.C., political experts in Rhode Island called the race unprecedented.

Adam Myers, associate professor of political science at Providence College, told ABC 6 Monday that there certainly won’t be 35 candidates on the ballot in September for Rhode Island’s Second Congressional District. He anticipates most candidates will drop off shortly.

“I don’t think they are going to raise money,” said Myers. “I don’t think they will have volunteers and a substantial amount of them, I assume, will not be able to get the 500 signatures.”

The 35 candidates running consists of mostly democrats. The special election is set for September.

Citing his frontrunners, Myers added, “Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos and Aaron Regunberg are probably in the first tier. Then there are the folks that are withing striking distance: Senator Cano former Whitehouse official Gabe Amo, Providence city councilman John Goncalves.”

Well-known names like house speaker Joseph Shekarchi and former gubernatorial candidate Helena Foulkes declined to run.

Myers finished, “A way for small states to accumulate power in D.C. is to have senators in congress stay in office for a long time and accrue seniority… There are a lot of people that want to attain high political power in this state, and that is a good thing and a bad thing.”