Allan Fung wins endorsement from Chris Christie in hotly contested Rhode Island race

Ryan King

October 10, 05:33 PM Oct 10, 05:33 PM

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie endorsed Republican Rhode Island hopeful Allan Fung in the race for the state's 2nd Congressional District on Monday.

Christie brought his huge personality to the country's smallest point out Monday to stump for Fung through Columbus Working day festivities in Providence and touted Fung as a design for the Republican Bash and the place extra broadly.

REPUBLICAN ALLAN FUNG Potential customers DEMOCRAT IN DEEP-BLUE RHODE ISLAND DISTRICT: POLL

“We need to have a lot more people today like Allan Fung in Congress,” Christie instructed ABC 6 Information. “People who are good, who vote their ideas, and will perform across the aisle.”

“I want somebody who’s likely to go down there and hear to the other aspect, and test to discover some widespread ground,” the former governor included.

Christie joins a increasing record of nationwide Republicans eyeing the Ocean State congressional contest. Final thirty day period, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker headlined a fundraiser for Fung. The Congressional Leadership Fund, which is aligned with Residence Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), reportedly ideas to pour upward of $1 million into the race in hopes of eking out an upset victory.

District 2 has historically been a Democratic stronghold. President Joe Biden won the district by double digits in 2020, but Fung has managed to poll strongly in opposition to his Democratic rival Seth Magaziner in the congressional contest. A new poll, which had a big margin of error of plus or minus 6.2 proportion points, observed Fung edging out Magaziner by 6 details.

The seat is held by outgoing Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI), and as the previous mayor of Cranston, the second-largest city in the condition, Fung brings ample identify recognition into the race. Magaziner at the moment serves as the state treasurer.

Magaziner's group was rapid to return fireplace following Christie's stump for Fung, deploying their common go-to attack line with Fung, trying to find to caricature him as catering to extremist Republicans.

"If Allan Fung is palling all-around with serious Republicans like Chris Christie who desires to minimize Social Security and ban abortion, envision who he will tie himself to in Congress," reported Magaziner's communications director Patricia Socarras.

"Rhode Islanders can not hazard sending Allan Fung to Congress when he has consistently proven he supports the most extraordinary elements of his occasion," she added.

Christie earlier backed Fung in a 2014 race in which Fung unsuccessfully vied for governor versus Gina Raimondo.

Christie unveiled that he is mulling a 2024 campaign for the presidency in the course of an overall look on Actual Time with Bill Maher very last Friday. He also threw shade at former President Donald Trump, with whom relations seem to have frayed.

“The issue with the Republican Get together is we have completed a large amount of losing lately. Considering the fact that 2016, we lost the Property, we misplaced the Senate, we misplaced the White Dwelling, we dropped two winnable Senate seats in the condition of Georgia. I’m worn out of getting rid of," Christie reported.

Defeated Rhode Island GOP prospect for governor endorses Democratic incumbent

Ryan King

September 23, 02:51 PM September 23, 02:52 PM

Defeated Republican gubernatorial hopeful Jonathan Riccitelli made waves in the Ocean Point out on Friday when he announced he was backing Democratic incumbent Gov. Dan McKee over his most important rival.

Riccitelli, who very long trailed his rival Ashley Kalus in the key showdown, chastised her marketing campaign as "baseless," ripped her for dishonesty, and accused her of hypocrisy for hounding McKee for debates despite refusing to debate him through the primary race.

GOV. DAN MCKEE FENDS OFF Rigid Competitiveness IN RHODE ISLAND GUBERNATORIAL Key

"While I admire her drive and aspirations, I have found the entirety of her campaign to be baseless. And to pay attention to Ms. Kalus call out the Governor (Mckee) in regards to his refusing to debate ... she blatantly refused my connect with to her as I had questioned the similar from her and her marketing campaign," he wrote in a press release.

"I guess criminals stick collectively," Kalus's Communications Director Matt Hanrahan rapidly shot back again on Twitter. He tweeted a connection to a Boston Globe write-up outlining a litany of expenses Riccitelli confronted for obstructing law enforcement over the many years. Kalus handily defeated Riccitelli 87.3% to 16.3%.

Just after some haggling about the program, both of those sides agreed to 3 debates before voters head to the polls in the midterm elections.

McKee ascended to the governorship final calendar year right after his predecessor, Gov. Gina Raimondo, vacated the post to head the Commerce Office for the Biden administration. He experienced served as lieutenant governor at the time. He narrowly evaded a most important defeat from previous CVS government Helena Foulkes, who relished a past-moment resurgence that may have been partially attributable to the backing of Dwelling Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who was roommates with her mother in college or university.

Now that McKee has survived his principal, he is favored to win the governor's race in the deep-blue Ocean Point out, supplied its political dynamics.

"Governor Mckee, a lifelong resident of this state. Former Mayor, group advocate, tiny company owner," Riccitelli extra. "In no way left when former administrations produced it hard to perform organization in this article in our Point out, he rose to the occasion. Ashley Weinzeig-Kalus has nonetheless to be genuine with herself. We just will not know what to be expecting."

Riccitelli, who underscored that his endorsement of McKee will come devoid of "hesitation," is not the only Rhode Island Republican to buck the bash. Democratic congressional contender Seth Magaziner just lately rolled out endorsements from four former election Republican officers, which include former Rep. Claudine Schneider (R-RI), who was the previous Republican to maintain Rhode Island's 2nd Congressional District, which Magaziner is vying for from former Cranston Mayor Alan Fung.

“The Republican Party of these days is not the one that influenced me to operate and signify the 2nd Congressional District in 1980,” Schneider wrote in a letter, the Public's Radio claimed. "It is now the celebration of insurrectionist Donald Trump."

Fung, who has been coy about his views on former President Donald Trump, is extensively regarded as one of the most aggressive Republicans to vie for the state's 2nd Congressional District in many years. He beforehand ran competitive races for governor from Raimondo in 2014 and 2018. The Cook dinner Political Report ranks the race as a toss-up.

Gov. Dan McKee fends off rigid level of competition in Rhode Island gubernatorial principal

Ryan King

September 13, 10:40 PM September 13, 10:54 PM

Incumbent Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee gained his Democratic primary Tuesday evening, defeating his rivals in the intraparty battle for governor.

Though technically the incumbent, McKee was never ever elected to the post and had alternatively been elevated from his lieutenant governor perch soon after his predecessor stepped down. Even with trailing his rival, Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea, in critical polling, McKee managed to eke out a gain and will confront Republican nominee Ashley Kalus in the tumble.

FILL-IN RHODE ISLAND GOV. DAN MCKEE COULD Get rid of SEPT. 13 DEMOCRATIC Key: POLL

As the principal contest entered the dwelling stretch, former CVS executive Helena Foulkes garnered momentum, experiencing the backing of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), the Boston World, and the state's former COVID-19 expert Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott. Even with trailing in the polls, ordinarily hovering all over 3rd place, Foulkes managed to clinch a second-location end on election evening, near guiding McKee.

Normal issues this sort of as abortion, healthcare, and the natural environment dominated the Democratic major race to helm the nation's smallest point out. The post had been vacated by previous Gov. Gina Raimondo, who left to serve as the secretary of commerce in the Biden administration.

Pursuing her departure, McKee, then-lieutenant governor, took about the job in 2021. He was broadly speculated to have experienced a rocky romantic relationship with his predecessor, hardly obtaining a presence for the duration of her COVID-19 press spectacles. Raimondo, who stepped down all through her second time period as governor, remained agnostic all over the most important.

Beneath Rhode Island law, the governor is minimal to two consecutive terms in office environment, so McKee's ascension seemingly upended ideas from other people eyeing the governorship. Gorbea, for instance, introduced her designs to vie for governor in May possibly 2021.

Through the marketing campaign, she traded barbs with McKee on issues ranging from abortion to the environment, questioning his progressive bona fides. McKee was endorsed by the point out Democratic Bash.

She experienced grow to be the initial Hispanic human being propelled to statewide office in New England in 2015 following profitable the secretary of point out post.

The pair confronted their truthful share of controversy in the waning days of the marketing campaign. For example, Gorbea recently garnered detrimental headlines amid studies that voting devices had many glitches in the course of voting, together with incorrect names on Spanish ballots.

Meanwhile, McKee lately experienced a war of text with CVS, which is headquartered in the point out, more than an ad insinuating the corporation played a purpose in the opioid disaster.

While Rhode Island is a closely Democratic-leaning state, the social gathering has not always held the governorship. Raimondo's predecessor, Lincoln Chafee, gained workplace as an impartial, and the previous Republican challenger, Allan Fung, ran limited races with Raimondo in the battle for governor. He is now running for Congress.

Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee trails Democratic primary rivals in bid for whole expression

Ryan King

July 01, 11:48 AM July 01, 11:48 AM

RICHMOND, Rhode Island — Gov. Dan McKee faces rigid Democratic principal opposition in his campaign for a total, 4-year time period following assuming the Ocean State's best governing administration job 16 months back.

A the latest poll of 353 likely Democratic principal voters showed McKee lagging Rhode Island Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea 20% to 24% forward of the Sept. 13 nominating contest. The poll was performed by Boston Globe/Suffolk June 19-22 and experienced a margin of error of furthermore or minus 5.2 proportion points.

REP. LANGEVIN ENDORSES MAGAZINER Following DISMAL POLL FOR RHODE ISLAND DEMOCRATS

“Polls appear and go, and the campaign has just started,” McKee stated in response to the poll numbers, WPRI claimed. “I never definitely place a whole lot of inventory in any figures, regardless of whether you are up or you are down.”

McKee first ascended to the governorship in March 2021 just after then-Gov. Gina Raimondo stepped down from the post to serve as the secretary of commerce in the Biden administration. As lieutenant governor, McKee was the next in line for the part. He was to start with elected lieutenant governor in 2014, after eight many years as mayor of Cumberland, in Rhode Island's northeast corner.

Both McKee and Raimondo experienced been matter to speculation that they did not get on perfectly. During the peak of the COVID-19 disaster in the point out in 2020, McKee was hardly existing through Raimondo's frequent televised press spectacles and experienced been reportedly still left out of her inner circle.

"I was elected to be the backup quarterback who can go into the activity," he informed reporters in 2020, in accordance to the Providence Journal. "I’m a backup quarterback that is not aspect of a staff. I don’t even have a uniform."

Versus the backdrop of speculation about their skilled romance, McKee and Raimondo came alongside one another in the community eye all through the changeover in 2021. He was afterwards sworn in to office environment as governor by Gorbea.

Gorbea was initially elected secretary of point out in 2014. She declared her candidacy for governor in Might 2021, just a couple of months immediately after Raimondo stepped down. The Rhode Island governor is limited to two consecutive conditions in office environment, so Raimondo would not have been able to go after a third bid as governor this cycle.

“The poll demonstrates that Rhode Islanders want a governor they have confidence in to always be on their side and who is familiar with how to get issues finished for persons,” Gorbea's campaign manager claimed, according to WPRI. “Nellie Gorbea has been in the trenches with local community leaders in Rhode Island for far more than thirty a long time, earning genuine development on significant worries like housing and defending voting legal rights and reproductive freedoms.”

The poll also found that previous CVS executive Helena Foulkes had vaulted close to the top rated of the pack with 16% of voters favoring her. About 31% of voters had been undecided.

On Sunday, McKee acquired an endorsement from the point out Democratic Party throughout its convention. State Treasurer Seth Magaziner, a congressional hopeful, also obtained the party endorsement for the primary race in the state's 2nd Congressional District. A new poll from Boston Globe/Suffolk had Magaziner trailing primary Republican contender Allan Fung in the typical election, despite the district leaning heavily Democratic above the previous 30 decades.

Brown University drops 'no whites' rule for course after complaint

Jeremiah Poff

June 29, 07:00 AM June 29, 07:00 AM

Brown University has expanded eligibility for a teacher training class after initially restricting enrollment exclusively to racial and ethnic minorities.

The "Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction" teacher training course at the Rhode Island-based Ivy League school had initially been restricted to "BIPOC" students. BIPOC is an acronym for black, indigenous, and people of color.

COLLEGES OFFER STUDENTS COUNSELING TO 'COPE' WITH ROE V. WADE REVERSAL

The course's racial restriction had been the subject of a complaint by the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism, which had sent a letter to Brown University President Christina Paxson earlier this month that accused the university of violating federal law by segregating the class.

"As an organization committed to pro-human anti-racism, FAIR supports efforts to achieve greater fairness and assist those in need of financial assistance in higher education," the foundation wrote in the letter. "We believe, however, that establishing a teacher training program based on skin color or ancestry violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act."

In a statement provided to the Washington Examiner, Eric Loucks, the director of Brown University’s Mindfulness Center, said the class was now open to all students regardless of skin color.

"The Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher training program will be open to individuals who live in the United States regardless of race, color, or national or ethnic origin," the center's director said. "Applications for the program will next open in August, and our promotional materials for this program will reflect its inclusive nature. Upon further review of our early promotional materials for the program, we realigned them to reflect the program's inclusive nature while still meeting the goal of addressing the needs, life experiences, and priorities of marginalized communities."

“The intent is to reach future teachers who have a special interest in or history of personal engagement with the experiences of Black, Indigenous, and/or Latino/Latina/Latinx peoples and others who have been underrepresented in the mindfulness field," Loucks continued. "This is regardless of the participant’s race. This MBSR Teacher Training Program is an effort to widen the population of teachers and participants who have access to mindfulness training and are involved in research programs."