Rhode Island Dem Gov Gina Raimondo Worried About Challenge From Former Dem Gov Chafee

Failed Democrat governor Gina Raimondo appears very worried about a potential challenger from her own party with former Democrat Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chafee ratcheting up his criticism of her in recent weeks. In an interview with WPRO radio, Raimondo responded to Chafee’s attacks, blasting his record as governor in what may be the first round of a Democrat civil war in Rhode Island:

GINA RAIMONDO: “I don’t know what his political plans are, it seems like, you know, political shots for whatever reason. But what I know is, 15,000 Rhode Islanders are working now that weren’t when I took office… He feels sore about something and he seems to be lashing out for whatever reason.”

In her response, Raimondo repeated a false claim made by her staff that the state has created 15,000 jobs since she took office. The Providence Journal reported the number to be smaller by thousands after a Raimondo spokesman was caught fudging the numbers. For some reason, Gina Raimondo is still repeating their false claim in interviews despite ample reports that show she is wrong.

Even with the Democratic Governors Association propping up her failing administration with campaign ads over 500 days out, Gina Raimondo appears to be in for a rough election cycle in 2018 with a potential Democrat challenge from Chafee gaining steam. And as Rhode Islanders continue to watch her administration’s failures pile up, they will take notice and hold her accountable at the ballot box.