Incumbents Fall in General Assembly

Incumbents Fall in General Assembly

At least eight incumbents in the Rhode Island House were toppled in the primaries yesterday - including House Judiciary Chairman David Caprio and Doug Gablinske, who was the number one target of unions.

The other defeated incumbents included: Peter Wasylyk, Providence; Chris Fierro, Woonsocket; Al Gemma, Warwick; Michael Rice, South Kingstown; Mary Ann Shallcross Smith, Lincoln; and Joseph Almeida, Providence.

About three to four candidates faced union-backed opponents in their primaries, according to Larry Berman, a spokesman for House Speaker Gordon Fox. Asked if the defeats reflected any kind of a trend, Berman said there were a lot of individual factors at work in the races.

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The string of incumbent defeats also raised questions about Fox’s future as Speaker yesterday. “Speaker Fox has received many calls this evening from various candidates who have been pledging their support for him; however, he is focusing first on the November elections,” Berman said.