U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin endorsed fellow Democrat Seth Magaziner Thursday as his preferred successor, describing him as the best choice among more than a half-dozen Democrats running in the primary.
“We simply can not take a chance on letting Republicans win this seat,” Langevin said during a news conference overlooking WaterPlace Park in Providence, characterizing the national GOP as out of step with the views and values of Rhode Islanders. “Our party must unite behind the strongest candidate in the race, and just as you’ve trusted me these last 22 years, I’m asking you to trust me now that Seth is the best candidate to continue what we started together all those years ago.”
The support from Langevin — who has held the 2nd Congressional District seat since first winning election in 2000 — comes amid ongoing signs of a competitive November race. A Boston Globe poll this week showed Republican Allan Fung with a six-point lead over Magaziner, with 17% of voters undecided.
Langevin said Magaziner, who is in his second term as Rhode Island’s general treasurer, has a track record of results, including his support for a school construction program that has repaired or rebuilt nearly 200 schools.
“Seth has been a leader on combating climate change and a champion for gun safety,” Langevin said. “But most of all, Seth shares our Rhode Island values. When we send Seth to Congress, I know that he will do what’s best for the Ocean State. Seth will be a fighter for the middle class.”
Two polls have shown Magaziner with a significant lead over five previously declared Democratic rivals: Omar Bah, Joy Fox, Sarah Morgenthau, Cameron Moquin, and David Segal.
By the end of the filing deadline Wednesday to declare a campaign, two other Democrats, former state Rep. Spencer Dickinson and Donald L. Keith, and one Republican, Donald Robbio, joined the race.
Fung’s top GOP rival, Robert Lancia, ended his campaign Wednesday, and a series of ratings changes this week, including one from the Cook Political Report, +pointed to a tighter November contest in CD2.
Magaziner said the indicators of a tight race are unsurprising; he said he acknowledged this was likely when he switched earlier this year from a race for governor. “It was one of the hardest decisions I ever made,” he said, ”and the reason that I was running was because I knew that this was going to be a tough race” due to “a difficult national environment.
That’s a reference to the concern among voters about inflation and the cost of living.
Fung, a former longtime mayor of Cranston, made unsuccessful runs for governor in 2014 and 2018. He remains well-liked in his home community.
Magaziner said his views are more consistent with Rhode Islanders than Fung’s on issues ranging from abortion rights and gun control to federal entitlements.
“On protecting Social Security and Medicare, I will fight tooth and nail to protect those programs against cuts,” Magaziner said. “The very first vote that Allan Fung would take in Congress would be to put Kevin McCarthy in charge of Congress, and he was one of the co-authors of Paul Ryan’s plan to privatize Social Security and cut Medicare.”
Fung’s campaign fired back.
“Seth Magaziner, who has advocated for increasing taxes on gasoline, championed drivers permits for those in the undocumented community, and supports those who want to defund the police, certainly does not have a good pulse on the priorities of CD2,” Fung’s campaign said in a statement.
“Seth Magaziner is a big fan of Nancy Pelosi and can’t wait to rubber stamp her radical agenda,” the Fung campaign added. “Fung’s agenda is the agenda of hard working people who just want gas prices to go down, our grocery stores to be full, and our streets safe.”
Magaziner lives in a part of Providence that is outside the 2nd Congressional District. He said he is still working on moving into the district.
Speaking ahead of the September primary, Magaziner expressed confidence that he will win the November election.
“Here’s how we’re going to do it,” he said. “We are going to make sure that Rhode Islanders understand that on every issue that they care about, we are on their side and Allan Fung is on the other side.”
Some of the other Democrats in the race reacted to Langevin’s announcement.
Joy Fox, a former press secretary for Langevin, said, “I am in this race for the people of this district, where I have lived and worked my entire life. From the beginning, I have believed that I am the most competitive Democrat, and hundreds of hours spent talking to voters has only reinforced that view.”
Omar Bah, who escaped political violence to build a new life helping others in Rhode Island, said people are tired of typical politicians.
“We went with the ‘safe’ candidate in 2016 and we got Donald Trump,” Bah said. “To keep this seat, Democrats need to be bold, and need to nominate a bold, qualified candidate – and I don’t mean ‘qualified’ in the conventional sense. We don’t need another lawyer or technocrat —we need a doer.”
From Sarah Morgenthau: “I’m the best candidate to take on Allan Fung, and the only candidate with experience delivering results in Washington. In the Biden administration, I helped develop our National Travel and Tourism Strategy, which will boost our economy and create jobs right here in Rhode Island. At the Department of Homeland Security under President Obama, I combatted domestic terrorism in our communities and strengthened our cybersecurity.”
The race is expected to get more intense in the months ahead, as Republicans try to bolster Fung’s chances, and Democrats seek to gain the advantage.
Ian Donnis can be reacbed at idonnis@ripr.org
