Gerry Leonard said he called the Michigan congressman in May when he was thinking about running, since he had served under his command in the Marines in 2006 and 2008.
“The question he posed to me,” Leonard said, ‘How do you work with other people and how do you cooperate?’” Leonard said he indicated cooperation is essential to getting things done.
Paraphrasing Bergman, Leonard said, “And he goes, good, because the problem we have in Washington, D.C., is we’ve got extremes over and we’ve got extremes over here and we can’t get anything done in the middle.”
Leonard, 58, of Jamestown won a lopsided victory in the GOP primary in CD1 last week. He spent 30 years in the Marines, attaining the rank of colonel, and described himself as a Republican in the style of the late John Chafee, a former governor and U.S. senator.
Bergman has the endorsement of former President Donald Trump and he was among more than 140 House Republicans who voted against certifying the presidential vote in 2020.
Asked what he would say to voters concerned about that stance, Leonard said, “I am honored. I have seen Congressman Bergman perform with the Marine Corps, I’ve seen him in Congress. I am honored to have his endorsement today. Donald Trump is Donald Trump. I’m Gerry Leonard and I’m running for U.S. Congress.”
Leonard is slated to face Democrat Gabe Amo in November for the seat vacated earlier this year by former U.S. Rep. David Cicilline.
He spoke during a news conference at Centerdale Revival, a restaurant in North Providence.
Leonard said he plans to meet as many voters as possible — and believes that the makeup of Rhode Island reflects the composition of the Marines during his service.
CD1 has a strong Democratic lean. It hasn’t been represented by a Republican since former Congressman Ron Machtley turned his attention to an unsuccessful run for governor in 1994.
Ian Donnis can be reached at idonnis@thepublicsradio.org.
