Will Gina Raimondo face a serious primary challenge in 2018?

[smoltchanov]

One of the least popular governors in the United States presently and I gather the public sector unions still hate her.

I'd have to assume that if she faced a serious primary challenger and the primary election were held today that she'd lose.

Related question: will Republicans finally run a good candidate (someone like Scott Avedisian) here?

[smoltchanov]

One of the least popular governors in the United States presently and I gather the public sector unions still hate her.

I'd have to assume that if she faced a serious primary challenger and the primary election were held today that she'd lose.

Related question: will Republicans finally run a good candidate (someone like Scott Avedisian) here?

Finally? If you mean a good candidate as in winning the election, two Republicans held the Rhode Island Governorship from 1994 to 2010.  After that, the former Republican (briefly turned Democratic Presidential candidate) Lincoln Chafee held the position for one term from 2010 to 2014 (elected as an independent.)

If you mean your preferred 'moderate' candidates as in a 'good candidate', why shouldn't the Republicans have nominated those two people who became Governors since, after all,  they won?

Of course, if they were unqualified for the office like President-Elect Donald Trump is for the office he is almost certainly about to assume, that would be different, but I don't think that was the case with either of them,

I know that Republicans (present or past) held Rhode Island governorship for 20 years, as good as you are. By "finally" i meant their 2014 candidate. Fung was not only pro-life (that's tolerable in mostly Catholic state), but - conservative on most major issues too, while Rhode Island - is not. Better candiddate could beat Raimondo even then. But if you speak about your beloved "true progressives" - not sure that they will be able either to win primary or defeat Republican candidate. This year (as in 2010 and 2014) most of them were far from being convincing..

[smoltchanov]

^ Sorry. I didn't noticed that in your posts. May be i was wrong. Nevertheless i think that main part of my post is correct: Rhode Island is NOT so liberal as many people think (and this year, despite obviously voting for Hillary. it made substantial swing to Trump). There are no easy solutions for problems of this non-growing state, so - we will see. Probably - no governor here will be especially popular

[smoltchanov]

^ Well, Raimondo ran in 2014 as "fiscal conservative", IIRC... So, it must NOT be too surprising, that WSJ praises her. And 38-55, while obviously low, still stands substantially higher then Brownback's "about 20". So - may be, but not neccessary, IMHO.... And Republicans, who are usually in dire minority in Rhode Island, badly need their "own" Baker, Scott or Hogan.... That's why a candidacy of Avedisian comes to mind: longtime mayor of large (by RI standard) Warwick, and popular...

[smoltchanov]

^ May be. If everything goes normal we will know in 1 - 1.5 years...

[smoltchanov]

Raimondo won the 2014 primary with 42.15% of the vote, so I'd imagine if the anti-Raimondo faction can agree on a candidate, they have a chance at beating her. As for the general, who knows? I don't think being a "progressive" is a death sentence in Rhode Island.

No, of course. Claiborn Pell proved it long ago. Nevertheless - state has a lot of relatively conservative Democrats as successfull politicians (mostly on state level), and some not very conservative Republicans, who were successfull too...

[smoltchanov]

Raimondo won the 2014 primary with 42.15% of the vote, so I'd imagine if the anti-Raimondo faction can agree on a candidate, they have a chance at beating her. As for the general, who knows? I don't think being a "progressive" is a death sentence in Rhode Island.

No, of course. Claiborn Pell proved it long ago. Nevertheless - state has a lot of relatively conservative Democrats as successfull politicians (mostly on state level), and some not very conservative Republicans, who were successfull too...

I never suggested otherwise?

No. I simply went into details..

[smoltchanov]

^ Sorry. I didn't noticed that in your posts. May be i was wrong. Nevertheless i think that main part of my post is correct: Rhode Island is NOT so liberal as many people think (and this year, despite obviously voting for Hillary. it made substantial swing to Trump). There are no easy solutions for problems of this non-growing state, so - we will see. Probably - no governor here will be especially popular

While on the state level I would say the state is center-left ideologically but on the federal level the state is liberal.

We talked exactly about state level (governorship, legislature, and so on)