Rhode Island: Brown quits, national Dem committe happy; independent voters will determine election

Brown quits Senate race
With just $35,000 left to spend on the September primary, the secretary of state and Democratic hopeful for Sen. Lincoln D. Chafee's seat bows out and throws his support to Sheldon Whitehouse.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
BY MARK ARSENAULT and SCOTT MacKAY
Providence Journal
...Sheeler disparaged both Brown and Whitehouse. "I am deeply disappointed that Matt Brown, who has positioned himself as a reformer, is now backing the ultimate political insider, Sheldon Whitehouse."

Brown's withdrawal is a boon for the Democratic Party, which can now focus all of its efforts on helping Whitehouse, who is expected to coast to his party's endorsement when the 150 delegates of the Democratic State Committee meet at the state convention on May 8 in West Warwick.

"It makes a huge difference," said William Lynch, state Democratic chairman. Because Brown and Whitehouse had both been elected statewide and had followings among Democrats, top party officials remained neutral in the race.

Now, while Laffey and Chafee tear each other apart in what has become an increasingly negative contest, Lynch said, Whitehouse will have the luxury of husbanding campaign money and building an organization for the November general election.

Brown's departure also fits with the Democratic Party's national strategy of avoiding divisive primaries in states where GOP Senate seats are up for grabs, said Jennifer Duffy, who follows Senate contests for the Cook Political report, a Washington, D.C-based nonpartisan newsletter.

"The DSCC [Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee] looks at this as a win" said Duffy, "because you try to avoid primaries."

Said New York Sen. Charles Schumer, DSCC chairman, "Matt Brown is a class act. His decision today takes us one step closer in our quest to pick up seats in the Senate this year."

Rhode Island Democratic Sen. Jack Reed -- who will now undoubtedly endorse Whitehouse -- praised Brown's decision. "Matt Brown put his ideals and hopes for America before his own ambitions."

But Brown's departure also will likely fuel the Chafee campaign's effort to draw independent voters -- labeled unaffiliated in Rhode Island political argot -- into the GOP primary, said Darrell West, Brown University pollster and political scientist.

"I would expect Chafee to really step up his campaign to get independents into the Republican primary," said West.

Because GOP primaries are traditionally low-turnout contests -- the record turnout is about 43,000 -- "it doesn't take very many independents, maybe 10,000 to 15,000 to really make a difference," said West. .... more