Retired Rhode Island Superior Court Judge Mark Pfeiffer '70 has decided not to make a bid for Rhode Island's open House of Representatives 1st District seat, Pfeiffer said in an interview with The Dartmouth, despite speculation in several media outlets that he was considering a run. The opening attracted several candidates after current Rep. Patrick Kennedy D-R.I. announced in February that he would not seek reelection.
The Providence Journal, among other sources, previously reported that Pfeiffer had considered entering the race.
Pfeiffer told The Dartmouth that while he was "obviously interested" in running for Congress, he eventually decided that he would not be able to raise sufficient funds or establish a strong campaign in the four months before the Republican primary.
"I decided that there really just isn't sufficient time," he said.
Pfeiffer would have competed against state Rep. John Loughlin, R-Tiverton, who has already announced his candidacy. Loughlin is now the only Republican in the race.
Loughlin was not available for comment by press time.
Pfeiffer told The Dartmouth that he was initially motivated to run because of his "shared frustration" with the people of Rhode Island about the state of federal politics.
After graduating from Dartmouth, Pfeiffer received a law degree from Cornell University Law School. He later worked as the minority council to the Rhode Island state Senate, then as Rhode Island director of business regulation before his appointment to the Superior Court in 1988, according to The Journal. Pfeiffer retired from the court in March 2009.
Rhode Island state GOP chairman Giovanni Cicione previously told The Journal that he had heard Pfeiffer was considering entering the race.
Cicione met with Pfeiffer about two weeks ago to discuss the race and said he would encourage Pfeiffer to run for "anything he is interested in,'' according to The Journal.
Cicione did not respond to requests for comment by press time.
On the Democratic side of the ticket, Providence Mayor David Cicilline and state Democratic Party chair William Lynch have announced their candidacies for the 1st District seat and will compete in a primary in November, according to The Journal.
Maureen Moakley, a professor of political science at University of Rhode Island, said the main contest for the seat will likely be between Cicilline and Lynch.
"This is a district that is solidly Democratic and unlikely to change in the short term," she said.
Moakley also said that Loughlin had "informally conceded" he would not win the congressional seat on the first try and would have to run several times.
The Democratic primary will be "competitive," Moakley said. As mayor of Providence, Cicilline has significant name recognition, which may help him win voters, according to Moakley. Lynch's work as party chairman, however, gives him traction with key Rhode Island Democratic officials, she said.
Wendy Schiller, associate professor of political science at Brown University, said the Rhode Island Republican Party will have to overcome the state Democratic Party's "institutional advantages", which include stronger organization, fundraising and candidate name recognition.
Although the 2010 election represents "the best chance for Republicans in a long time," the Republican Party will not make significant gains unless its members present a comprehensive policy platform, according to Schiller.
The Republican party's current method of opposition to the Democratic Party's policies breaks sharply with former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich's strategy in 1994, Schiller said. Gingrich used the "Contract With America," a policy platform, to help the Republican party retake control of the House of Representatives, according to Schiller.
"Now it's up to the GOP to find a coherent message that presents an alternative to Democratic rule. They can't beat the Democrats with nothing," Schiller said.
