Former governor and U.S. Senator Lincoln Chafee says it is “very unlikely” he will try to make a political comeback this year by running in the Democratic primary for governor.
Chafee, a Democrat was mulling a challenge to incumbent Gov. Gina Raimondo. Chafee says he is working on several projects he wasn’t specific about. He says at this point he isn’t endorsing any candidate but expects to support the Democratic ticket.
“Because I’m a Democrat I’ve tried to be loyal and support the ticket and expect that to continue,” said Chafee in a brief interview.
Chafee, 65, has had a long career in Rhode Island politics, serving as a city council member and mayor in his home city of Warwick and as a Republican U.S. Senator. After he lost a senate election to Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse in 2006, Chafee became an independent and won election as governor in 2010. He switched to the Democratic Party while governor and briefly ran for the party’s presidential nomination in 2016. He supported Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton for president in 2016.
