Gov's aide Robitaille wants boss's job

WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI/AP) - Former U.S. Senator Lincoln Chafee, Attorney General Patrick Lynch and State Treasurer Frank Caprio have already announced plans to run for governor. Tuesday, Republican John Robitaille annnounced his intention for the state's top job.

At 61, John Robitaille, Governor Don Carcieri's public relations man for the past several years, is nothing if not feisty, holding forth in a news conference in Warwick. In addition to his position dealing with the media, he's also an Army vet and former businessman.

This is his first run for statewide office in his native Rhode Island -- after narrowly losing a race to unseat Democratic Rep. Amy Rice (Portsmouth, Middletown and Newport) in 2006.

"There are many things that I'm aligned with Gov. Carcieri on. Many, many, many things. I believe in smaller government. I believe we should reform taxation. I believe we NEED to streamline government. Significantly."

Like Carcieri, Robitaille said he opposes abortion, and believes marriage is between a man and a woman -- but said he would be willing to consider domestic partnership rights for gay men and lesbians. The state's leading gay rights groups have rejected that system, calling it separate and unequal.

Eyewitness News Analyst Joe Fleming predicted Robitaille will be running uphill: "He works for the governor right now, so he will be tied to Gov. Carcieri in a campaign running for governor.

"The governor's favorability ratings and job performance is kind of low based on polling data, and in turn he will be tied to those things because he works for the governor right now."

"I'm not going to separate myself from him," Robitaille said to news reporters. "I'm not saying it's four more years of Don Carcieri, but... I wouldn't have gone to work for him, and I wouldn't have worked for him for two years if I didn't believe that he was doing the right thing as governor, and I still believe that."

Though Rhode Island paints itself with the "blue" brush on the campaign map, signifying Democrats, it's elected "red" governors a great deal. Except for four years under Bruce Sundlun, Rhode Island's chief executives have been Republicans since 1985.

Republicans have struggled to find a candidate willing to enter the race and try to keep the seat.

Cranston Mayor Stephen Laffey, who challenged then-Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee in the 2006 primary, announced Monday he would not enter the race. Businessman Rory Smith dropped out of the election last month. And Chafee is now running as an independent candidate for governor, while Attorney General Patrick Lynch and General Treasurer Frank Caprio are competing for the Democratic nomination.