Chafee's challenger going door to door

• Article
• Comments ()
• Click-2-Listen

By

WARWICK, R.I. -- Cranston Mayor Stephen Laffey bounded out of his "Laffey for Senate" RV on Saturday morning, loaded his two youngest daughters into a stroller and began speed-walking from house to house.

It was one of his well-known neighborhood blitzes aimed at boosting support for his underdog bid to unseat Rhode Island's incumbent senator, Lincoln Chafee, a fellow Republican.

Tomorrow's primary is a tossup by most accounts, and the candidates spent much of the weekend shaking hands wherever they could, from street corners to local festivals.

Mr. Laffey, his wife, children and supporters -- including a few close childhood friends -- sped from house to house in West Warwick on Saturday, handing out fliers and shaking hands.

"People on a mission work a lot harder than hired guns," the fast-talking, energetic father of five said.

Quite a mission it is.

An hour later, he was running after his 10-year-old son, Sam, who found a potential voter and beckoned his father by calling out, "Mayor."

The competitive and at times nasty Republican primary battle has drawn nationwide attention because many say the outcome is key to determining whether Republicans keep control of the Senate.

National Republicans threw their money and support behind the more liberal Mr. Chafee, insisting that he has the best shot of winning the general election in the Democratic state. But Mr. Laffey received ample help of his own from the conservative, pro-tax-cut group Club For Growth. He has made the race competitive by steering clear of his more conservative social beliefs and billing himself as an aggressive blue-collar reformer who gets things done.

During Saturday's neighborhood blitz, Mr. Laffey spoke to supporter Anne Woolfall, who hid behind her front door in a bathrobe as volunteers and reporters traipsed across her lawn.

"I think he's done a great job for Cranston," the 40-year-old woman said after shaking his hand and wishing him "good luck."

"We're going to fight for you," he told her.

Meanwhile, a few miles away in Warwick, more than 50 Chafee volunteers took a break from their phone calls and other efforts to gather piles of balloons and don their blue-and-green "Keep Chafee" T-shirts for a midday barbecue with the soft-spoken senator.

"I like the integrity of the senator," said Judy Cutler, 60, a campaign volunteer who complained that Mr. Laffey has insulted union members and raised taxes in Cranston.

"We want Linc," the crowd chanted.

"We're in the homestretch," Mr. Chafee yelled over their cheers -- a rare outburst from the normally calm senator. "Rhode Islanders know they can trust Linc Chafee. They know he has guts, and they know he can work with everybody. And on Tuesday, they're going to say 'That's the horse we want to ride.'"

Still, as the fight winds to a close. Mr. Laffey's campaigners hope the old-fashioned neighborhood blitzes will pay off.

"We've identified thousands of people going door to door," said John Dodenhoff, Mr. Laffey's campaign manager. "In a primary, that makes a difference."