Family legacy looms large in RI governor’s race

PROVIDENCE—Lincoln Chafee was picked to fill the U.S. Senate seat of his late father, catapulting him from a mayor’s office into one of the most exclusive political clubs.

Family connections enabled General Treasurer Frank Caprio to enlist the support of a retired U.S. senator during his first run for office. Caprio’s great-grandmother and the senator’s mother knew each other in Italy and continued their friendship after immigrating to Federal Hill, Providence’s Italian enclave.

Chafee and Caprio, who are now considering running for governor in next year’s election, said during a panel discussion Sunday that their family ties give them name recognition and political contacts. But it can also mean inheriting opponents and old grudges.

At the end of day, a candidate rises or falls on his own merits, they said.

Voters “decide when there’ll be a legacy or not,“ Caprio said. “It’s not by birthright. Those who come after continue to earn it every election cycle.“

The strength of their family political ties is being tested again. Chafee, a former Republican, is exploring a run for governor as an independent. Caprio, a Democrat, hasn’t official declared himself a candidate, but he’s aggressively raising money for the same race.

Both men share different family legacies.

Chafee’s ancestors were among the founding families of colonial Rhode Island. His father, John Chafee, was a Republican governor from 1963 to 1969, the U.S. Secretary of the Navy under President Richard Nixon and died in office while a U.S. senator in 1999.

The younger Chafee was appointed to fill the seat left vacant by his father’s death. He was elected in 2000 but lost his seat six years later to Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse.

Chafee, who frequently clashed with the Republican Party over the Iraq War, abortion and environmental protections, quit the GOP after the election and is now an independent. He described angering his Republican colleagues on a Senate committee when he voted against weakening some of the environmental protections his father backed.

“You could see the steam coming out of their ears,“ Chafee said. “But that was a rollback of clean air laws, and I wasn’t going to step on my dad’s legacy.“

Caprio’s family arrived in Rhode Island during a great wave of immigration during the early 20th century. His father, Frank Caprio, served as a Providence city councilman, sits on a board overseeing the state’s public colleges and works as a Providence judge. His brother is state Rep. David Caprio.

His great-grandmother ran a produce stand and gave free goods to her old friend from Italy, Sen. John Pastore’s mother. Pastore recalled those ties when Caprio invited him to a campaign event in 1990, Caprio said.

If family ties can help a candidate, they can also hurt.

“You may feel you inherit someone’s friends, but you also inherit their so-called enemies,“ Caprio said.

The family connections aren’t limited to Caprio and Chafee. Attorney General Patrick Lynch, a Democrat running for governor, is the son of a former Pawtucket mayor. His brother, Bill Lynch, is chairman of the state Democratic party.