You raise some interesting points, Marc, and you’ve sparked a wacky idea — just an out-of-the-box consideration, really, but…
Assuming that we don’t manage to change the political culture in Rhode Island to begin unseating incumbents, and given current political trends, what are the chances that a Langevin in the tenth or fifteenth year of his reign might switch parties? If Republicans continue to cement their position in the federal government, and if the Democrats continue to refuse to risk losing their kooks, I wonder if a relatively conservative, relatively young senatorial Democrat mightn’t find it in his state’s interest (and his own) to make the switch.
Just thinking out loud.