Page 12 - HOSPITAAL

A4 U.S. NEWS
Monday 14 May 2018

Lincoln Chafee, a political enigma, eyes his old Senate seat

By DYLAN McGUINNESS Chafee is known for doing sessment of U.S.-Russia rela- land’s chapter of the Na- climate change.
Associated Press the unexpected. tions and recently joked on tional Education Associa- Chafee has often made his
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) He regularly defied the Re- a radio program: “I am not tion, has worked for both mark by playing the oppo-
— Former Gov. Lincoln publican Party when he a Russian spy.” camps. nent, whether against the
Chafee’s unanticipated in- Iraq War, the Bush tax cuts
terest in running for his old or Rhode Island’s botched
U.S. Senate seat began investment in the failed
with an email from two pas- video game company 38
sionate supporters of U.S. Studios.
Sen. Bernie Sanders. But Schiller said opposing
A 61-year-old retired chef mistakes is not the same
and a 48-year-old real thing as getting things ac-
estate agent worried complished.
Democratic Sen. Sheldon “Here’s the challenge for
Whitehouse’s votes were Lincoln Chafee,” Schiller
promoting an overly milita- said. “Sheldon Whitehouse
ristic America. So in Janu- has been more effective as
ary they asked Chafee, a a U.S. senator than Lincoln
quirky Republican-turned- Chafee was.”
independent-turned-Dem- Chafee, obviously, sees it
ocrat, whether he would differently.
be interested. “I don’t think he can name
Chafee has “been able to any accomplishments,” he
buck the party trends and told the AP.
look at the issues on the The 2006 race was largely
merits,” one of the writers, seen as a referendum on
Jonathan Daly-Labelle, Bush, and it grew nasty in its
told The Associated Press final weeks, with both sides
recently. pouring money into at-
“Sheldon is a typical Dem- In this Oct. 13, 2015, file photo, former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee speaks during the a tack ads and taking public
ocrat and locked into the Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas. swipes.
party outlook, and he’s not Associated Press “I didn’t hold any grudges
looking at things individu- or any animosity when he
ally.” served in the Senate, be- On other issues, Chafee He advised Whitehouse’s ran against me. It was, ‘This
To their surprise, Chafee coming the only GOP sena- is expected to challenge 2006 campaign and then is America,’” he said, add-
quickly accepted a meet- tor to vote against the Iraq Whitehouse from the left helped Chafee’s 2010 gu- ing later, “and I would ex-
ing. And on April 25, he War authorization in 2002. if he runs, 12 years after bernatorial campaign. pect that he wouldn’t in
stunned just about ev- He won the governor’s of- Whitehouse defeated “It’s hard to be surprised the same way, now.”
eryone when he publicly fice as an independent in him in part by connecting by anything Chafee does Chafee is ready for a re-
floated the idea of running 2010, and then switched Chafee’s Republican affili- because there’s a little bit match he said would likely
against Whitehouse in the parties during his single ation to President George of randomness in there,” involve “brass knuckles.”
Democratic primary. term in office. Later, he ex- W. Bush. Walsh said. He remains confident de-
Chafee has said there’s a tolled the metric system in In an interview with the He added that he doesn’t spite what he called a
90 percent chance he’ll his Democratic presidential AP last month, Chafee sig- see a “compelling set of tough governorship — he
run, and political observ- campaign. naled support for a single- differences” between chose not to run for a sec-
ers say it would set up a His exploratory Senate bid payer health care system, Chafee and Whitehouse ond term amid low approv-
fascinating rematch of has been similarly uncon- criticized Whitehouse’s that would resonate with al ratings — and the beat-
the 2006 general election, ventional, marked so far ambivalence about a pro- voters. Foreign policy and ing he took in the presiden-
when Whitehouse unseat- by his contrasting views on posed natural gas plant in a local power plant aren’t tial race, when he failed to
ed Chafee, then a Repub- the special counsel’s probe the rural community of Bur- enough, he said. gain traction and dropped
lican. into Russian interference in rillville, and railed against Chafee has a record of fis- out in 2015 before voting
And in the small world the 2016 election. Whitehouse’s votes in favor cal responsibility and sup- began.
of Rhode Island politics, Chafee has bucked the of warrantless wire-tapping porting liberal causes like “The critics have to re-
there’s another twist — the Democratic line, saying he and a military campaign in environmentalism and member ... that I have
two families have been tied wouldn’t support legislation Yemen. same-sex marriage, said been right time and time
for generations. Chafee’s to protect Robert Mueller, Whitehouse told the AP Wendy Schiller, a profes- again,” he said, referring
late father, John, a Republi- then changed his mind and that he will address oppo- sor of political science at to the Iraq War, 38 Studios
can governor and senator, said he “would have voted nents in the race “as they Brown University, but he and the nomination of Hill-
roomed with Whitehouse’s with the Democrats.” become real opponents.” faces long odds against ary Clinton for president in
father at Yale, and the poli- He has praised Russian Pres- Robert Walsh, the execu- Whitehouse, whose signa- 2016. “And they have been
ticians’ sons are friends. ident Vladimir Putin’s as- tive director of Rhode Is- ture issue in the Senate is wrong.”q