Matt Brown has decided to run for governor in Rhode Island as a Democrat.
Brown, who served as the state’s Democratic secretary of state for one term before an ill-fated U.S. Senate run in 2006, had been considering pursuing a campaign as an independent. He said his conversations with voters pushed him to run as a Democrat.
“Like a lot of Rhode Islanders, I’m a Democrat I would say with an independent streak,” he said in an interview. “I’ve seen something really happening across the state within the Democratic Party and a real desire and a push for making fundamental changes that we haven’t made in a long time.”
Brown’s decision sets the stage for a primary fight with Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo. The primary is September 12.
After folding his Senate campaign in 2006, Brown moved to Washington, D.C., and co-founded Global Zero, a group working to reduce the risk of a nuclear confrontation. He moved with his family back to Rhode Island about five years ago.
Brown, 48, said the state needs more new ideas, like significantly expanding reliance on clean energy and creating a state bank.
Environmentalist Paul Roselli and former state Representative Spencer Dickinson are also running for governor as Democrats.
