State of Rhode Island secondary Archives: on Principles & Values
Allan Fung:
Condemned with IFFY award for running "Issue-Free" campaign
OnTheIssues attempted and failed to compile the issue stances of this candidate--which means the candidate actively sought to hide issue stances from the internet, the news media, and the voters. OnTheIssues undertook due diligence--including writing to
the campaign--and got no response. We will eventually infer the candidate's issue stances from a future voting record--but voters should demand to know about the candidate's stance on their favorite issues (and then send them to us!)
We consider "issue-free campaigners" to be untrustworthy of holding elected office--the IFFY award means they are "iffy" officeholders.NBC10 reports that Fung avoided all primary debates: "The two favorite contenders for the major party's nominations
are refusing to appear in any of the offered statewide forums. 'It's not OK in a democracy,' NBC 10's political analyst said. 'Avoiding debates might rub voters the wrong way and they might just end up staying home in the general election.' " We agree.
Source: IFFY disendorsement in 2018 Rhode Island Gubernatorial race
Oct 31, 2018
Allen Waters:
Grew up in Providence; lived & ran in MA; now running in RI
Allen Rodney Waters describes himself as a black Republican with "conservative values." Waters intends to drop his long-shot campaign against Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts and run against Democrat Jack Reed. Waters has lived in Mashpee (MA) for the
last 15 years, and will move back to his family's home in Providence. Voters in Rhode Island "need to understand" they have a choice, he said.Waters describes himself as a third-generation Rhode Islander, his father a Providence police officer, his
late mother a bookkeeper at The Wheeler School. He graduated in the 1970s from the University of Rhode Island with a B.S. in business administration. He left Rhode Island in 2003 to manage a Charles Schwab branch in Baltimore and segued from there to
Mashpee, Mass., where he has lived since 2005.
Waters ran a short-lived campaign against U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren in 2017. [Along with his brief run against Markey in 2019], Waters acknowledges now he had no chance against these "giants."
Source: Providence Journal on 2020 Rhode Island Senate race
Dec 16, 2019
Ashley Kalus:
As a former Golden Gloves boxer, I am a fighter
I started working at a pizza shop when I was only 15. I have been a hostess, a waitress, a barista, and worked retail--working two jobs and still struggling to make it financially--an experience far too many
Rhode Islanders still face today. As we take this journey, I will never forget my roots. And as a former Golden Gloves boxer, I am a fighter, and I will be the people of Rhode Island's champion.
Source: 2022 Rhode Island Governor campaign website AshleyKalus.com
Sep 14, 2022
Ashley Kalus:
Names Ron DeSantis as her most admired elected official
In one of the most revealing moments at a gubernatorial forum in May, the candidates were asked which elected official, living or dead, they most admire. Republican Ashley Kalus named Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.On˙the Democratic side, Gov.
Dan McKee said˙Barack Obama. Former CVS executive Helena Foulkes said FDR. Former Secretary of State Matt Brown said the late civil rights icon John Lewis. Progressive advocate Luis-Daniel Munoz said˙Bobby Kennedy and current Secretary of State
Nellie Gorbea named Civil War-era˙Gen. Joshua Chamberlain.
Has that changed? In light of recent news out of Florida, Democratic Gov. Dan McKee's campaign is asking: to what extent do DeSantis' actions in
Florida represent˙Kalus' plans˙for Rhode Island? "It's alarming that Ashley Kalus holds up the most extreme and divisive Governor in America as her model for leadership," McKee's campaign manager said.
Source: Providence Journal on 2022 Rhode Island Gubernatorial race
Sep 13, 2022
Bob Flanders:
Let both sides be heard in Supreme Court Kavanaugh hearings
Bob Flanders described the U.S. Senate hearing into the sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh "the epitome of what is wrong with Washington today,? and more particularity, the incumbent he is challenging: Sheldon
Whitehouse."I want to express my respect for the courage that it took for Dr. [Christine Blasey] Ford to tell her story in front of a national audience,? Flanders said. "Both Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh deserved to have their perspectives heard in a
fair and impartial hearing. Unfortunately, they were not given that opportunity.
"Sheldon Whitehouse's juvenile questioning about high school yearbooks and flatulation were a new low in our nation's judicial nomination process. Rather than follow his
Constitutional obligation to `advise & consent,' Sheldon has decided to deceive & beleaguer."
Asked what next steps he believes the Senate should take, Flanders said he supports the one-week delay [for an FBI investigation into Ford's allegations].
Source: Providence Journal on 2018 Rhode Island Senate race
Sep 28, 2018
Dan McKee:
People have pride in their communities & staying in hometown
As for where he plans to live McKee said he will stay in his hometown. "I'm not leaving Cumberland," he said. "As we go around the state and talk to people, people have a lot of pride in their communities as I do in Cumberland," McKee said. "That's our
strength, and so I'll go to that strength and that's why I know the communities are going to respond strongly to this effort to really rally and attack this virus in a way that we can do from a ground level," McKee noted.
Source: The Independent on 2022 Rhode Island Gubernatorial race
Jan 21, 2021
Dan McKee:
Trump's Big Lie is a threat to our democracy
McKee said, "Once I became aware on Friday afternoon of the details of a fundraising event set for next Wednesday, I asked that the event be cancelled. I do not want to be associated with Donald Trump in any way, shape, or form.
I do not like Trump--he is dishonest, divisive, and his "Big Lie" is a threat to our democracy. There is no place for a Trump spokesperson to co-host any event I am involved in."
Source: Newport Buzz on 2022 Rhode Island Gubernatorial race
Jul 6, 2021
Gina Raimondo:
Granddaughter of Italian immigrants; lifelong Rhode Islander
A lifelong Rhode Islander, Gina grew up in Smithfield in a tight-knit Italian American family, the youngest of Joseph and Josephine Raimondo's three children.Gina's grandfather arrived in Rhode Island from Italy when he was 14 and learned
English studying at the Providence Public Library. Her father Joseph, a World War II Navy veteran from a family of butchers, was the first in the family to attend college, then worked for 26 years at Bulova watch factory in
Providence until the company moved his job overseas. Growing up, Gina rode a RIPTA bus to school at La Salle Academy and spent weekends at her favorite beach,
Sand Hill Cove--where she and her husband Andy now take their two kids Ceci, 13, and Tommy, 11.
Source: Vote-USA.org on 2018 Rhode Island Gubernatorial incumbents
Oct 3, 2018
Gina Raimondo:
To young women: look within; summon courage to lead
So, to all the young women out there, I want to leave you with their words. Look within yourself, and summon the courage to lead. There will be plenty of times when you're unsure. In those moments, we need you to push aside your doubt and fear,
and to say yes. Know that you can be anything you want to be. You are strong and smart and capable. And I'm looking forward to the day when one of you is our governor.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to Rhode Island legislature
Feb 3, 2021
Gina Raimondo:
Remove "Providence Plantations" from state documents
The state commonly known as Rhode Island is still officially named "Rhode Island and Providence Plantations," but the last three words of the phrase won't appear on state documents going forward.
The reasoning, as Gov. Gina Raimondo explained at a news conference, is that "plantation" is suggestive of slavery. "We can't ignore the image conjured," she said.
Source: The Week newsmagazine on 2018 Rhode Island Governor race
Jun 25, 2020
Gina Raimondo:
Your family and faith will always be there
People often ask me "What's the thing that you're most proud of?" and I always answer, "my two children." As you guys grow up, always remember that your family and your faith will sustain you no matter the challenges you may face.
Tough times and good times come and go, but your family and faith will always be there. So, don't forget to begin and end each day with your prayers!
Source: Time magazine on 2018 Rhode Island Gubernatorial race
May 4, 2016
Mark Zaccaria:
Former chair of state GOP; former Town Council member
The ex-chairman of the Rhode Island Republican Party has jumped into the race against Democratic Senator Jack Reed. Mark Zaccaria is a late entrant.
Warwick city employee Raymond McKay had announced his candidacy but was stymied by a local ordinance prohibiting city employees from running for office.
Zaccaria has twice run for Congress in the 2nd District held by Rep. Jim Langevin and chaired the party from 2011 to 2013. He's a former member of the North Kingstown Town Council. He told The Providence Journal he's not running "just because
I happen to have a pulse." He says he's doing so to offer a viable alternative to Reed. Reed has been in the Senate since 1997. He won his last re-election campaign handily.
Source: Associated Press/ABC-6 on 2014 Rhode Island Senate race
Jun 25, 2014
Mark Zaccaria:
Judeo-Christian values established our government framework
Question topic: Efforts to bring Islamic law (shariah) to America do not pose a threat to our country and its Constitution.Zaccaria: Strongly Disagree.
Question topic: Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which permitted our system of limited government.
Zaccaria: Strongly Agree.
Question topic: Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
Zaccaria: I am a Christian. I am a practicing member of the United Methodist church. I am a member of the leadership of my Congregation.
Source: Faith2Action iVoterGuide on 2014 Rhode Island Senate race
Sep 30, 2014
Nellie Gorbea:
Government doesn't run like a business, nor should it
I'm just saying that I have more than just business experience. Government runs differently. It does not run like a business, and it shouldn't run like a business. It's in the business of people, of serving the public.
The bottom line is not the only line that you're going to be looking at--you're going to be looking at the welfare of the people that you're serving. And so that's a really key differential.
Source: Boston Globe on 2022 Rhode Island Gubernatorial race
Mar 3, 2022
Seth Magaziner:
American Dream of economic mobility has broken down for many
That American Dream of economic mobility has broken down for many families and was never afforded to others. Seth believes we can only restore the American Dream if we send representatives to Washington who will fight for working families and stand
up to Donald Trump, Kevin McCarthy, and the national Republicans who seek to divide America, undermine democracy, and appeal to the most chaotic, hateful and dangerous elements of their party.
Source: 2022 Rhode Island House campaign website SethMagaziner.com
Jun 19, 2022
Page last updated: Feb 18, 2023