Cranston Mayor Allan
Fung: 13 To Watch in RI in 2013
Tuesday, January 01, 2013
No group took it on the chin harder in the 2012 elections
than the Rhode Island Republican Party, which watched as virtually all of its
federal and General Assembly candidates were trounced by Democrats.
The dismal performance led pundits across the state to
question whether the GOP has any hope of survival in such a blue state.
Enter Cranston Mayor
Allan Fung.
Mayor Fung has managed
to steer clear of being associated with the fringe far right members of the
Party while still maintaining his credibility with Party stalwarts. His
impeccable record as Mayor has also earned the respect of leading Democrats and
he’s built close relationships with both General Treasurer Gina Raimondo and
Providence Mayor Angel Taveras (the two went to Classical High School
together).
Now Fung is considered
the favorite to win the Republican nomination for Governor in 2014, which would
likely lead to a battle in the general election with either Raimondo or
Taveras.
The question is: Will he
run?
Fung would be a strong
candidate and Rhode Island still hasn’t elected a Democrat to the state’s top
office in more than two decades, but he would not be considered a favorite in a
race that will likely include Raimondo or Taveras, Independent Governor Lincoln
Chafee and Moderate Party chairman Ken Block.
Still, some believe the
time is now for Fung to run statewide and the Mayor has said he’ll announce his
intentions early in 2013.
Cross your fingers, Republicans.
