Langevin challenger says RI needs better leadership

PROVIDENCE—State Rep. Elizabeth Dennigan announced her candidacy for Congress on Tuesday, attempting to unseat a popular five-term incumbent in next year’s Democratic primary against the wishes of party leaders.

Dennigan, who is making her first bid for Congress, questioned the effectiveness of incumbent Rep. James Langevin and said she would work harder to steer federal funds to new technology firms in a state suffering from 12.4 percent unemployment.

“I think we need much clearer and more effective leadership than we currently have in Congress,“ Dennigan said shortly before her first campaign rally in Providence.

Ousting the incumbent could prove difficult. A Brown University poll taken in May showed that Langevin, who was elected in 2000, enjoyed a 49 percent approval rating. He won 62 percent of the vote against Democratic challenger Jennifer Lawless in a 2006 primary.

Dennigan has approached political leaders to gather support for her run, but not all have been receptive. Democratic Party Chairman William Lynch said Monday that he supported Langevin and will work
toward his re-election.

Dennigan lists her primary address in East Providence, outside of Langevin’s district, but said she will soon relocate to a second home in Narragansett inside the district.

Rhode Island’s collapsing economy seems certain to dominate the race. The recession began in Rhode Island long before the rest of the nation, and its unemployment rate is the second-worst in the
country, trailing only Michigan.

The once-dominant manufacturing sector has shed thousands of jobs and state leaders have found little to replace it. Meanwhile, home prices have tumbled and the small businesses that dominate the
state have struggled to access credit.

If elected, Dennigan said, she would work to better fund business incubators that develop new manufacturing firms. She also wants to loosen what she believes are cumbersome regulations by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that keep local medical device makers from getting their products on the market.

“We have the know-how to grow medical device industry,“ Dennigan said.

In an interview, Langevin said he takes all challengers seriously and welcomed the race. Langevin said he worked during his last term to alleviate unemployment by supporting a boost in Pell Grants helping low-income students afford college and lowering the costs of student loans.

Dennigan was first elected to the General Assembly in 1996 and serves on the House Finance Committee, which shapes Rhode Island’s $7.8 billion state budget. She works as an attorney and an emergency room nurse in Kent Hospital in Warwick, training she believes will prove an advantage as President Barack Obama and Congress debate a massive overhaul to the health care system.

The candidates have starkly different views on abortion. Dennigan supports abortion rights for women, while Langevin believes it should be legal only in the cases of rape, incest or when a pregnancy endangers the health of a mother.