RI’s moment on the big stage

Posted 4/26/16

Voters are heading to the polls, and the winners of the Rhode Island presidential primary – barring a razor-thin margin or other unexpected issue – will soon be known.

The excitement of the …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

RI’s moment on the big stage

Posted

Voters are heading to the polls, and the winners of the Rhode Island presidential primary – barring a razor-thin margin or other unexpected issue – will soon be known.

The excitement of the campaign has swept the Ocean State in a way few would have predicted just weeks ago. Ahead of the vote, all but on the five remaining major party candidates made local stops – clear evidence of the outsized importance of the union’s smallest state to both the Democratic and Republican hopefuls.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made stops in Central Falls and Johnston, while her husband, former president and aspiring first gentleman Bill Clinton, stopped in Warwick, Cranston, Woonsocket, and Providence over two separate visits. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders drew more than 7,000 for an event at Roger Williams Park’s Temple to Music.

After much speculation about a possible visit, businessman and television personality Donald Trump spoke before hundreds at Warwick’s Crowne Plaza just a day before the voting. Ohio Gov. John Kasich held a town hall at Bryant University in Smithfield, drawing a smaller audience for a more intimate question-and-answer session. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz – who with Kasich late Sunday jointly announced a stunning détente aimed at stopping Trump – was the sole hopeful to skip a Rhode Island stop.

On both sides of the race, the late-stage primaries suddenly loom very large. Today, the Ocean state joins Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland, and Delaware in casting ballots.

Following a major victory last week in her adopted home state of New York, Clinton is hoping to further tighten her grasp on the Democratic nomination. Sanders, meanwhile, is looking to Rhode Island and Pennsylvania to provide fresh momentum for his upstart bid.

On the Republican side, it’s all about math – specifically, delegate counts. Trump, who is expected to win Rhode Island handily, hopes to maximize his delegate haul as he works to obtain a majority before this summer’s GOP convention. Kasich and Cruz, meanwhile, hope to deny Trump the delegate majority and send the nomination to multiple votes.

Beyond a Trump victory, the likely outcome of the Rhode Island voted was fairly uncertain. A Brown University poll released over the weekend – which was delayed after a low response rate attributed to “voter fatigue” – found Clinton topping Sanders and Trump ahead of Kasich and Cruz, with sizable percentages on both sides undecided. A Public Policy Polling (PPP) survey released Monday, however, found Sanders besting Clinton by a narrow margin, and Trump dominating his opponents with more than 60 percent support.

This election cycle has seen expectations upended at every turn. Until fairly recently, it seemed exceedingly unlikely Rhode Island would have drawn anything approaching the attention it has received over the last two weeks. Indeed, some lamented the state had made itself irrelevant in the presidential contest by holding its primary so late in the season.

We will be watching to see whether the decision to open only a third of the state’s polling places for the primary creates issues. We hope the “voter fatigue” cited by Brown does not translate into low turnout, and that as many Rhode Islanders as possible cast ballots. We hope for a smooth and inclusive process that fully reflects the will of the people.

Rarely does our state have such an opportunity to influence the presidential contest. Let us seize this moment on the national stage.

Comments

1 comment on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here

  • Justanidiot

    This is why the oligarchy is broken. Rhode Island only counts if the delegate count is down. Were this a typical presidential erection, we would be lucky if the the Ghost of Socks showed up.

    Tuesday, April 26, 2016 Report this