Rhode Island Democrat Leaders Ramp Up Criticism Of Failed Governor Gina Raimondo

With Democrat governor Gina Raimondo’s failures continuing to pile up, leaders of her own party have been quick to voice their displeasure in recent weeks. House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello, Attorney General Peter Kilmartin, and even her predecessor former governor Lincoln Chafee, all Democrats, have made ramped up their criticism of the failing governor amid reports of job losses, tax problems, and a massive budget shortfall.

After it was reported that Rhode Island can expect a $100 million dollar budget shortfall, significantly greater than had been previously forecast, Speaker Nicholas Mattiello levelled much of the blame at Raimondo, claiming, “a lot of the budget problems are due to not achieving budget savings or revenue initiatives the administration proposed last year.” Mattiello has been locked in a highly public battle with Raimondo in recent months as the two have attacked each other over car tax and college tuition proposals.

In an interview on WPRI-TV, Lincoln Chafee, the former Democrat presidential candidate who is openly considering challenging Raimondo in 2018, discussed his “increased dissatisfaction as a taxpayer,” saying he is concerned about “the future of the state.” The comments come after Raimondo took shots of her own at Chafee in a recent interview with WPRO radio.

Chafee also called Raimondo “unbelievably clueless” about the issues facing her administration while criticizing the Democratic Governors Association’s ads in support of her, calling them a “waste.” GoLocalProv reports:

“Why did Governor Raimondo waste the Democratic Governors Association valuable money on TV ads for the free tuition proposal with this looming iceberg about to sink the budget? The Governor was clueless on the magnitude of the UHIP problems and unbelievably clueless about what was happening to the revenue and expenditure columns in her administration,” said Chafee. “Again, shocking that she wasn’t aware that there were problems.”

But Chafee isn’t the only Democrat thinking of challenging Raimondo in 2018. Attorney General Peter Kilmartin has flirted with the prospect of a primary challenge with the governor. He grabbed headlines this week over his differences with Raimondo on “revenge porn” legislation,  calling it a “‘disgrace’ that Gov. Gina Raimondo, a fellow Democrat, is putting ‘the interests of Hollywood elites’ ahead of Rhode Island victims of ‘revenge porn’ and sexual extortion.” Kilmartin’s attack may be a preview of a primary challenge that could create headaches for Raimondo.

As Raimondo’s troubles continue to grow, three of the state’s top Democrat leaders have all stepped up their criticism of her, with Chafee and Kilmartin even entertaining the possibility of challenging her for reelection. With even members of her own party ramping up attacks on Raimondo, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that she has much to worry about for her reelection in 2018.