Projo Politics Blog

The Providence Republican Party will announce its slate of candidates for statewide and federal office on Monday night .

City Party Chairman David Talan said that the party will unveil Republican challengers to incumbent Democratic U.S. Representatives James R. Langevin and Patrick Kennedy, and to U.S. Sen. Jack Reed.

North Kingstown’s Mark Zaccaria has already announced that he will challenge Langevin.

Talan would not divulge who might challenge Reed and Kennedy, but two men have indicated interest in the seats: Federal Hill clothing store owner Joseph Zuccolo has created a Joe Zuccalo for Congress Committee with an eye toward challenging Kennedy, and Providence’s Jonathan Scott, who lost a 2006 challenge to Patrick Kennedy, has formed an exploratory committee to challenge Reed.

The meeting is set for 7 p.m. at the Columbus Theater at 270 Broadway.

Talan will also announce challengers for roughly half of Providence’s 20 General Assembly seats, all of which are up for reelection in November. He said he expects candidates to file for all the seats by the June 23 deadline.

“At the very least, we’re going to put up credible candidates,” he said. “I don’t think any of them are repeat candidates.”

Providence has not sent a Republican to the General Assembly since Mary Ross lost her reelection bid in 1994. The city has not had a Republican on the City Council since Malcolm Farmer in 1990.

Talan said that the party ran good races in 2004 and 2006, however, and expects to have a shot at some seats this year.

“We’ve come close in other races. We still ran strong races against Rhoda Perry and Joanne Giannini,” Talan said.

He expects to run a viable race against Giannini again, he said, and against incumbent Reps. Anastasia Williams, Grace Diaz, Gordon Fox, David Segal, and Sen. Harold Metts.

--Journal Staff Writer Daniel Barbarisi

Comments

Dave said:

Dream on boys!

Link | June 5, 2008 9:43 PM
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