One former Presidential candidate is mulling a political comeback, but this time he’s going to keep it local. Politico reports:
Former Gov. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island said on Wednesday that he would “very likely” challenge Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse in the state’s upcoming Democratic primary.During an interview with WPRI, Chafee, who launched a longshot bid for the Democratic presidential nomination during the 2016 election, cited Whitehouse’s 46 percent approval rating in a recent state poll as a contributing factor toward his inclination to run.
“Senator Whitehouse just doesn’t have solid support, according to that poll here in Rhode Island,” he said.
Chafee added that he was also tempted to mount a challenge given the fact that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) carried Rhode Island during the Democratic primaries in 2016 over the eventual nominee, Hillary Clinton, whose candidacy Whitehouse backed.
Lincoln Chafee Official Senate Portrait
Lincoln Chafee, now a Democrat, spent 8 years in the US Senate from 1999 to 2007 as a Republican. He became an independent in 2007 after losing his 2006 reelection bid to Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse.
Chafee then ran and won his bid for Rhode Island Governor in 2010 and became an Democrat in 2013.
His 2016 bid for the Democrat nomination for President lasted a mere 5 months from June 2015 to October 2015. He cited his reasons for dropping out:
One of the reasons Chafee decided to drop out now: Hillary Clinton had “a good week,” he said, one where former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb dropped out of the race, Vice President Joe Biden declined to run and she withstood hours of testimony on Capitol Hill.
“Obviously it was a good week for Secretary Clinton,” Chafee told reporters after his speech. “She did well in the debates and then Senator Webb got out, Vice President Biden declined to join the race, she did well in the Benghazi hearing and Gov. Chafee got out of the race.”
And now he’s preparing to primary someone in his own party. Get the popcorn ready!
AAN Staff
The staff at American Action News are consummate professionals, who when not producing original, hard-hitting content, are scouring the internet to bring you the unfiltered news that matters to you! Our mission is to maximize your experience on our website. If we can ever be of assistance, please do not hesitate to let us know!
