Some Sounds from the John Loughlin Fundraiser — And One Very Direct Follow Up
If there was one message directed to the general public coming out of the John Loughlin fundraiser held in East Providence last evening, it was that, despite any rumors that might be heard to the contrary, former State Representative Loughlin will definitely be running for Rhode Island’s First District Congressional seat upon his return from his tour of duty with the Army in Iraq. Here is Loughlin campaign spokesman Michael Napolitano’s answer to the question of how certain a Loughlin-for-Congress campaign is…
I want to make this perfectly clear. He is running. There is no doubt.I also asked Mr. Napolitano to sketch out the basic rules that Loughlin must follow regarding political activity while on active duty. The basic rule is pretty straighforward — he cannot be directly involved with his own political campaign, in any way, until his tour of duty has ended…
…he can run for office, but he cannot be involved with the campaign…About 100 people attended the fundraiser over the course of the evening, where several Republican legislators made official public endorsements of candidate Loughlin…
Several of the evening’s speakers made references, with varying degrees of directness, to their support of Loughlin over another likely entrant into the First District Republican race, Colonel Brendan Doherty. Rep. Newberry took this one step further in a statement on his Facebook page today, calling for Col. Doherty to step out of the First District primary (h/t Ted Nesi).
Representative Brian Newberry: “…John has proven his integrity. He’s proven his honor. I served with him in the Rhode Island legislature and watched how he worked. I watched how he kept his word and, this is important by the way, I watched how he worked with our friends across the aisle…”
 Audio: 1m 46 sec
Representative Doreen Costa: “…Can we afford the tax and spend mentality of David Cicilline? Absolutely not. John is the only man in Washington who can lead the way in my opinion…”
 Audio: 1m 0 sec
Senator Frank Maher: “…At the end of the day — I don’t care who the other candidate is who’s running for the First Congressional District to Represent Rhode Island — every other candidate is indecision with a lack of vision. But with John, you are going to get what you asked for, and you are going to a your next Congressman who delivers on what he says”.
 Audio: 42 sec
Senator Christopher Ottiano: “…First of all, he stood up and he ran for political office in this state as a Republican and stood for his values…” Audio: 1m 58 sec
I proudly attended the John Loughlin fundraiser on Sunday. I would argue that the numbers in attendance were well above the 100 mentioned, but that doesn’t matter. What is important is the fact that 16 town/city committees were reperesented and John Loughlin’s supporters actually live in his district and can and will vote. As far as Mr. Doherty goes, I respect his willingness to step into the arena, although I wish he had thought this through and perhaps chosen a different race. As a conservative Republican, I ask him to please reconsider his decision. John Loughlin is the right man for this job, and his campaign is alive and well, although he has not been able to participate. With a solid core group of passionate, dedicated volunteers in place, his campaign will swing into full press immediately upon his return early next year. Until then we are …”waiting for John Loughlin”
I proudly attended the John Loughlin fundraiser on Sunday. I would argue that the numbers in attendance were well above the 100 mentioned, but that doesn’t matter. What is important is the fact that 16 town/city committees were reperesented and John Loughlin’s supporters actually live in his district and can and will vote. As far as Mr. Doherty goes, I respect his willingness to step into the arena, although I wish he had thought this through and perhaps chosen a different race. As a conservative Republican, I ask him to please reconsider his decision. John Loughlin is the right man for this job, and his campaign is alive and well, although he has not been able to participate. With a solid core group of passionate, dedicated volunteers in place, his campaign will swing into full press immediately upon his return early next year. Until then we are …”waiting for John Loughlin”
Brian Newberry…. …
not the, rank and file right-wing-nuts should decide who is to run against Cicilline ?
Sharia Law…in Rhode Island ?
Sammy In Arizona,
where wing-nuts fight, to win a spot on the balot
Wendy,
Consider my estimate to be based on rounding to the nearest increment of 50, with any erring made towards the side of caution.
Rep. Newberry did you contact the RI State GOP before issuing your announcement? You’ve been minority leader since April? Did you have the courtesy to contact Mr. Doherty, or even e-mail Mr. Loughlin about what your intentions were sir?
Do you routinely just shoot from the hip and make comments or do you stop and think about what you are saying?
Does Mr. Loughlin know how sloppily his campaign is being run? Would he just make a statement without regards to the other party? If he does know then I must assume he is aware of your lack of tact and courtesy reflects poorly upon his campaign.
Your announcement is a tactic that reeks of desperation. You have held one fundraiser and generated $7500 for a congressional seat. The voters will decide the race, not some house minority leader.
I will support Mr. Doherty. He is working to replace Cicilline in Congress. You are just working to oust Republicans like Watson, Gordon and now Doherty. Plus you inferred that the GOP has no credible candidate for the second congressional district. Good job!
Here we go again.
Cue the dozens of fake accounts from the Loughlin and Doherty campaigns. The PR-speak flamewar between two or three individuals was so thrilling to witness last time.
I still don’t understand how electing a Republican to a Federal position is supposed to help Rhode Island solve any of its internal problems. Unless RI really needs a John Loughlin Airfield.
B. Bateman,
I’m curious. If Brendan Doherty is elected to Congress, do you expect him to abide by a rule that says he must consult with a set of behind-the-scenes masters, before making any public statements?
And do you think he (and his supporters) should expect others to do this also?
Rep. Newberry can make any statement he wishes. As a minority leader Rep. Newberry position carries some prestige in the GOP. I was inquiring whether there was a change in the stance of the RI GOP.
Has Gov. Perry approached Ron Paul or Herman Cain and asked them not to run this early on?
John Loughlin and Brendan Doherty are both great candidates and have the right to run for any office they want.
Let the voters decide.