Democratic Senate candidate Matt Brown announced that he is staying in the race despite a crippling campaign finance scandal, only $35,000 in the bank to spend in the Sept. 12th primary and the firing of three key campaign staff and his media consultants. After Brown followed-up weeks of avoiding the media around the campaign finance scandal, he was also caught at home at 4:00pm (as the current Secretary of State, many wondered why he wasn't at work) and refused to answer his door. Top Rhode Island political columnist Charlie Bakst hit the nail on its head with his most recent column on Brown.
If a boxer is staggering, bleeding, clearly beaten, the referee mercifully stops the fight.
A ref should call an end to Secretary of State Matt Brown's running-on-empty bid for the Democratic nod for U.S. Senate.
He's done.
Read more on the flip.
This is not an endorsement but an observation: The Democratic nominee for the seat held by Republican Linc Chafee will be former Attorney General Sheldon Whitehouse, who still faces token primary opposition from Carl Sheeler.
Years from now, experts will still marvel at his raising and burning through more than a million dollars, leaving a legacy of vaporized visibility, a trail of staff departures, no message and zero momentum.
Currently, the 3rd Democrat in the race - Carl Sheeler - has $210,000 to spend in the primary while favorite Sheldon Whitehouse has $1.37 million.
The news of Brown's implosion bodes well for incumbent Republican Senator Lincoln Chafee, who is engaged in a viscious primary battle with conservative Steve Laffey. If the lustre of the Democratic Primary fizzles, then a great majority of the 48% of Rhode Island's independent voters (who can vote in either primary) may vote in the Republican Primary for Chafee. If the independents vote in the Democratic Primary, odds are that Laffey wins because of his strong support in Rhode Island Republican circles.