Pine vs. Langevin for Congress (posted July 14, 1999)

Former Attorney General Jeff Pine told the Providence Journal and Associated Press this week that he is seriously considering a run for the second congressional district in Rhode Island, the seat being vacated by U.S. Senatorial candidate Robert Weygand. If Pine runs, look for this race to become one of the most competitive House contests in the country. Nationally, experts expect there will be only around 25 open seats House elections with no incumbent on the ballot. Since 95 percent of incumbents seeking re-election typically win, party control of the lower chamber will depend largely on the outcome of the open seats. Right now, Democrats are only 6 seats away from regaining control of the House.

Pine clearly would be the strongest Republican contender for this seat. As Attorney General, he was the most popular public official in the state, hitting a high job performance rating of 69 percent in 1998. When he left office at the end of 1998, 58 percent of Rhode Islanders thought he was doing a good or excellent job. With the guilty plea of former Governor Edward DiPrete and favorable court rulings in the drug strike force case, Pine is freed of two of the controversies that marked his last year in office.

The National Republican Congressional Committee, the chief fundraising arm of the House GOP, has promised Pine generous financial support if he enters the race. Indeed, NRCC director Tom Davis made the request for Pine to run and arranged for a D.C. visit for Pine so he could see all the party could do for him. The last time a Republican held the second district seat was Claudine Schneider in 1990. What is encouraging the NRCC is the fact that the second district tends to run about 3-4 percentage points more Republican than the first district. Plus, it is a chance for the GOP to pick up a seat in the backyard of Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairman Patrick Kennedy.

On the Democratic side, Secretary of State Jim Langevin is the favorite for the nomination over Kate Coyne-McCoy and Kevin McAllister. Langevin has a current job performance rating of 54 percent, but recently was the object of a highly critical article in the Providence Phoenix complaining about his past voting record and unwillingness to take positions on current state issues. With his pro-life voting record and cool support from labor, look for strong criticism of his record from his primary opponent. If the primary proves contentious, it will help Pine in the general election.