EDITORIAL: Now There Are 2, Will There Be 3, 4 or 5 Democrats Running for Governor?

EDITORIAL: Now There Are 2, Will There Be 3, 4 or 5 Democrats Running for Governor?

On Tuesday, Rhode Island General Treasurer Seth Magaziner announced he is now officially a candidate for governor of the State of Rhode Island. He joins Rhode Island Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea as declared Democratic candidates in the race. 

Both Magaziner and Gorbea are term-limited out. They face two options -- up, or out.

For Magaziner, this week he announced he was announcing, then actually announced, and then...refused to take reporters' questions.

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That is not going to work very well. According to reports, after he avoided any follow-ups, he jumped in a staffer's car with Florida license plates to go campaigning

Magaziner and Gorbea need to put on their big boy and girl pants and be ready to answer real questions. Neither has been a strength in the past.

Governor Dan McKee is expected to run for reelection, but may not make the formal announcement until early 2022.  

The race could get dramatically more dynamic. Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza for months has fundraised telling backers he was running for governor as the most progressive candidate and that in a crowded race there was a path to victory, but criticism of his management of crime, ATVs, and overall urban decay is undermining a viable run.

If Elorza runs, that would make four Democrats. 

Former CVS executive Helena Foulkes has been exploring a run. She could make five. 

Luis Daniel Muñoz, who ran in 2018 as an independent, has already declared he is running again. He, in his campaign finance report, is listed as unaffiliated. 

And, then there could others — rumors continue to swirl.

Other questions are unanswered.

Will the RI GOP run a viable candidate? California could be a lesson for Republicans. If the GOP had run a truly viable candidate, Gavin Newsom would have been recalled and the GOP would have captured the governor’s office for the first time in nearly 20 years.

The 2022 governor’s race in Rhode Island is wide open -- and the Democratic primary is set to be wildly completive and could be divisive.

One important question is will better ideas be generated? Will leaders emerge or just better campaigns? Will the winner be the one who can move Rhode Island forward or just the one with the best fundraising Rolodex?