h/t gk @EuroTrib – “The Democratic Party is still hopeless”

Rhode Island Dems in uproar as party seeks to oust three progressive women

As it tries to fend off a progressive insurgency, the Democratic Party in one of the bluest states in the country is facing open revolt after endorsing candidates — including a Trump-voting former Republican — in primaries against three progressive women up for re-election this year.

Progressives across the country say they’re fighting an out-of-touch party establishment, but nowhere are the battle lines more clearly drawn than Rhode Island, where the state is run largely by Democrats who oppose abortion rights and get “A” ratings from the National Rifle Association.

More below the fold …

Why Did the Rhode Island Democratic Party Endorse an Alt-Right Supporter Over a Progressive Incumbent?

Moira Jayne Walsh, a 27-year-old former waitress and labor organizer, captured a bit of national attention after she won a seat in the Rhode Island House in 2016. “I decided that I wasn’t just going to work on legislation, because there has been so much neglect in my neighborhood for so many years that I wanted to make sure that people felt that they had a sense of community,” she told The Atlantic that November.

Walsh has since been a progressive voice in the legislature and supports increasing the minimum wage and marijuana legalization.

RI Democratic Party Under Fire for Conservative Endorsements

  • Former State Representative John Carnevale is the endorsed candidate for House District 13. He is currently facing three felony charges. Previously, when he was serving in the House, he was a strong supporter of Speaker of the House Nick Mattiello — a fellow conservative Democrat.
  • Holly Taylor Coolman has been endorsed by Democratic House District Committee 5 and she is challenging State Rep. Marcia Ranglin-Vassell. In 2016, Ranglin-Vassell shocked the political world when she defeated Mattiello’s Majority Leader John DeSimone in the Democratic primary and then again in the General Election when DeSimone tried a failed write-in candidacy.

    “I am pro-life. Among other things, that means that I am opposed to abortion-on-demand. As regards public policy, I, like most Americans, believe we have to navigate this complex issue carefully. In fact, one of my primary commitments as a candidate is a refusal of ideology in favor of principle, and a refusal of culture wars in favor of reasoned conversation,” Coolman told GoLocal.

  • Greg Acciardo, a former state senator with a criminal record, was recruited and endorsed to run against Bridget Valverde, a Democratic candidate for Senate District 35. Valverde blistered the decision by the Democratic Party to endorse Acciardo.

    “Acciardo popped up at the campaign declaration deadline and was immediately handed the official Democratic endorsement by Joe McNamara,” said Valverde in a statement. She goes on to blister Acciardo’s criminal record which she says includes a vehicular manslaughter case.

[Update-1] h/t Neon Vincent

○ Rhode Island Dems Walk Back Pro-Trump Candidate Endorsement | TPM |

[Cross-posted from European Tribune – where dissent is NOT troll rated!]

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