No surprise to Rhode Islanders, but notable that the 2010 Rhode Island Governor’s race is already getting some national punditry, from both sides of the political aisle:
…there is one independent candidate both parties point to as not just a spoiler, but as a potential winner: Lincoln Chafee, the former Republican senator seeking the governor’s office in Rhode Island. “In the world of who is real and serious and credible, it’s Chafee,” Nick Ayers, executive director of the Republican Governors Association, said Wednesday at an event previewing 2010 races sponsored by The Hotline. “In general, [independent candidates] are low-impact. In Rhode Island, that’s a very high impact.”
Added Nathan Daschle, executive director of the Democratic Governors Association, Chafee is “who we see as the general election competition.”
Still too early to call, but 2010 promises to be a particularly interesting election cycle.