Carcieri's communication director Robitaille mulls run for RI governor

[ccharles000]

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Governor Carcieri's communications director John Robitaille has thrown his hat into the ring as a potential Republican candidate for governor.

In a interview on Tuesday, Robitaille said he knows he has two drawbacks as a candidate -- money and name-recognition.

But Robitaille, 61, of Portsmouth, said he has the political bug, knows the state issues inside-and-out at this point, and intends to spend the next several weeks talking to "every possible supporter'' to see if he can make a credible run for the state's top job.

His boss, Donald Carcieri, is barred by term-limits from running for reelection.

East Greenwich businessman Rory Smith withdrew from the race, 52 days after announcing his own Republican candidacy for governor. Former Cranston Mayor Stephen P. Laffey is believed to be weighing his own return to politics as a candidate for governor, and a group of his supporters on the GOP state committee have mounted a public draft-Laffey campaign.

http://politicsblog.projo.com/2009/12/carcieris-commu-1.html