Langevin to face primary challenger

PROVIDENCE—A campaign flier showing that Congressman James Langevin, an abortion opponent, will face a challenge in the Democratic primary from a pro-choice state lawmaker sparked interest Friday as it bounced among women’s rights leaders and other potential allies of the challenger.

Rep. Elizabeth Dennigan, D-East Providence, said Friday that “it’s no secret” she’s interested in the race, but she refused to confirm the authenticity of an invitation spread by e-mail to supporters to watch Dennigan declare her candidacy Tuesday for Langevin’s seat.

A person who spoke with The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity said Dennigan confirmed to this person that she will announce her candidacy at the Providence rally.

Dennigan lives in East Providence, which is outside Langevin’s district, meaning she will likely have to move.

To win, Dennigan will have to beat an incumbent who won his seat in 2000 and has held it against previous challengers who ran on an abortion rights platform. Langevin opposes abortion except for victims of rape and incest or when a pregnancy endangers a woman’s life.

“The congressman takes every challenger seriously and he looks forward to campaigning for and earning the vote of the voters in the Second District,“ Langevin spokeswoman Joy Fox said.

Dennigan, 54, is an attorney and emergency nurse who serves on the House Finance Committee, a powerful group of state lawmakers responsible for shaping Rhode Island’s $7.8 billion state budget.

Langevin had an uncontested primary in 2008 and easily beat Republican fiscal conservative Mark Zaccaria in the general election. Two years earlier, he won 62 percent of the vote in a Democratic primary against Jennifer Lawless, then a Brown University professor, who criticized Langevin for failing to support abortion rights and not supporting a speedier withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.