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RI State Races to Watch
By BrianHull | August 13, 2008
The folks over at RI Future have selected 5 state races in Rhode Island that will be of prime importance in the upcoming November 2008 election. Here they are:
1. Chris Fierro - Fierro is running for State Representative in House District 51 in Woonsocket. This seat was vacated when Roger Picard ran for the state senate upon Sen. Roger Badeau’s passing. 6 Democrats, including Picard’s brother and another candidate supported by the Woonsocket dictator Susan Menard, are vying for this seat and the winner will be the Representative-elect since there are no general election candidates. What is most impressive about Fierro is that he is focused on bringing manufacturing jobs back to Woonsocket. He is focused on bringing high-paying wind and solar power manufacturing jobs to Woonsocket and he has the skills to do it: he has worked to bring contractors and construction unions together to create good, living wage jobs.
2. John DeGenova - DeGenova is running for State Representative in House District 16 in Cranston against the biggest anti-immigrant and DINO legislator in the State House - Peter Palumbo. Palumbo is a 14-year incumbent at the State House. It should be noted that Palumbo has been nicknamed “the Octopus” because, in 2005, he was caught voting for two other legislators who weren’t in the House chamber at the time. I was extremely impressed with DeGenova’s comments regarding what kind of Democratic Party he belives in. His beliefs stand in stark contrast to those of the conservative DINO Palumbo.
3. David Bennett - Bennett is running for State Senate in District 31 in Warwick. This seat was vacated by Sen. Jack Revens who recently retired. Bennett faces off against the endorsed Democrat in the September primary. What impresses me about Bennett is that he is not a politician. He has lived in Warwick his whole life has worked in the health care field for more than 30 years. He will truly be a breath of fresh air at the State House and truly represent the needs of working families - especially on the issue that knows the most about: health care. If you think the average politician in Rhode Island is out of touch, then Bennett is your candidate.
4. Bill Hall - Hall is running for State Representative in House District 28 in Coventry for the seat left vacant by retiring Rep. Victor Moffitt. He faces off against the endorsed Democrat in the primary and then a Republican in November. In a letter to Coventry voters, the former town councilman Hall clearly shows that he understands that the state is headed in the wrong direction and that we need new voices pressing for change at the State House. In the same letter, he announces his support of renewable energy, for safeguarding the environment and for a long-term economic development plan for the state.
5. David Segal and Grace Diaz - This last spot is a tie. While the first 4 races are all new candidates looking to become first-time legislators, Segal and Diaz are cornerstones for progressives in the House and we need to ensure that they win re-election.  Segal is running in House District 2 in Providence and East Providence and Diaz is running in House District 11 in South Providence. Both of these legislators have been at the forefront of fighting for progressive change: investing in renewable energy, protecting the environment, offering solutions to the foreclosure crisis, reforming a broken criminal justice system, reducing local property taxes and fighting for adequate state funding for public education.
Topics: Elections, Rhode Island |
August 14th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
Bill Hall is an excellent choice. He knows that it’s important to have a good core services (fire dept).
Joe Ouellette
Citizens for Providence Public Safety
provpublicsafety@gmail.com