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By Steve Peoples
Journal State House Bureau
State Rep. Elizabeth M. Dennigan will challenge fellow Democrat and five-term incumbent Congressman James R. Langevin in the 2010 contest for Rhode Island's 2nd Congressional District.
Dennigan confirmed her decision in an interview with The Journal Monday afternoon. The formal announcement will come at a "campaign kick-off" event Tuesday evening.
"I will be declaring tomorrow," Dennigan said. "We think we can make a positive difference in Congress. I look at this as an exciting challenge."
Dennigan, 54, is a lawyer and an emergency nurse at Kent Hospital. A member of the General Assembly since 1997, she currently serves on the powerful House Finance Committee.
While she grew up in West Warwick, Dennigan currently lives in the 1st Congressional District. The East Providence resident soon will establish residence in the 2nd District by moving to a summer home in Narragansett.
Langevin has consistently faced challenges since first winning a Congressional seat in 2000, but they have come largely from Republicans. Dennigan, an East Providence Democrat first elected to the General Assembly in 1996, faces an uphill battle.
She will take on a firmly-entrenched Democrat who enjoys a substantial fundraising advantage and the support of Rhode Island's Democratic machine.
State Democratic Party Chairman William Lynch issued a statement backing Langevin Monday afternoon:
"While I respect Rep. Dennigan and admire the work she has done for her constituents in Pawtucket and East Providence, I can think of no better advocate for the people of Rhode Island's 2nd Congressional district than Jim Langevin," Lynch said.
Dennigan had this response:
"I'm not going to win this based on the support of other [party] officials solely. I really need to get out there and get to know the people of the 2nd District," she said.
Dennigan met privately with Langevin in late June to express interest in running for the seat.
When asked about the likely challenge, Langevin spokeswoman Joy Fox recently had this to say: "The congressman takes every challenge seriously. He looks forward to a good-spirited campaign."
Former Brown Prof. Jennifer Lawless was the last Democrat to challenge Langevin from the left. Largely seizing on the congressman's pro-life position, she spent more than $359,000 in the 2006 Democratic primary and earned 38.2 percent of the vote in the losing effort.
In today's interview, Dennigan declined to discuss her platform in detail, preferring to release those details at Tuesday's event. But she suggested that abortion would not be a key issue.
"I don't think, from what I sense as a legislator, that is what is on the forefront of most people's minds," she said.
Langevin already has a substantial fundraising head start for the Sept. 14, 2010, primary election, just over a year away.
He raised $188,805.50 for the three-month period between April 1 and June 30, while spending $65,034.24, according to his latest filing with the Federal Election Commission. That left the congressman with $300,053.76 on hand at the end of the quarter.
Dennigan cannot begin raising money for a congressional bid until she establishes a federal candidate committee. That was one of the factors in her decision to announce this week, she said.
Her state campaign committee last week reported no cash on hand -- although she held at least one fundraiser in early June and repaid an outstanding loan balance of $8,536.28, according to the State Board of Elections.
While money isn't everything, it's an important factor in congressional elections. In 2006, for example, the average winner in a U.S. House race spent $1.25 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
-- The Providence Journal has been following this story today as it develops, Our initiap report was posted at 1:23 p.m.
