Nicholas Narducci Jr. has served on the Providence City Council for 16 years and understands, he says, the workings of Democratic primaries – particularly that nasty part where candidates pummel each other with negative advertising prior to the general election.
“That’s what we Democrats do in the primaries, we beat each other up good and then the Republicans know everything and have all the ammunition they need against our candidates going into the general election.”
And so, when it came to the various thorny ads in the race for governor between Gov. Dan McKee, former CVS executive Helena Foulkes and Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea, Narducci says he wasn’t at all surprised.
“Actually, I thought it was going to be a little more heated to be honest with you,” he said Tuesday afternoon outside the polling center at the DaVinci Center in Providence.
In the final weeks of the campaign, a Gorbea attack ad accused McKee of running a “pay to play” administration.
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A Foulkes ad characterized the governor’s leadership as “lies, scandals and the worst track record for a governor in the country.”
McKee’s campaign pushed back, and in one ad accused Gorbea’s campaign of “getting desperate” and using a Trump-supporting Republican to make false attacks.
On Tuesday, the three candidates were each asked to characterize the tone of the campaign.
Voting early in his hometown of Cumberland, the governor thought about that question for a moment, then chose to punt, sort of.
“I’ll just leave that alone,” he said. A minute later, he said, “There is a distinction between actually managing a state and campaigning for governor. They are two different animals. The work is what’s important to me.”
McKee said one reason so many people expressed appreciation for his light-hearted ad featuring his 94-year-old mother is “it’s brought a smile to people’s faces and inside the political dynamics that you were referring to ... to bring a smile to people’s faces and the importance of family -- that’s why our campaign is going to resonate. That’s why we’ll win today.”
Later in the afternoon, Helena Foulkes arrived at the DaVinci Center to greet voters.
When and whether to use negative advertising gets “complicated,” she said. Some voters tuned out of the race, complaining “this is such a boring campaign,” she said. “Then it got a little nasty and they feel turned off.”
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“When the others decided to attack each other, and attack me, I’m going to hit back,” she said. “But I was all about building my own positive brand.”
Foulkes said she was happy she didn’t use negative advertising any sooner. “Absolutely not, and here’s why. People are still getting to know me and they need to know me in a positive way and what I stand for, and that’s really at the core of who I am.”
Secretary of State Gorbea spent the final afternoon hours campaigning in South County and accompanying her eldest child to a Wickford polling station so she could cast a ballot.
She characterized the tone of the campaign as “highly spirited and competitive.”
She said she decided to use negative advertising because at some point “I always believe you do have to make some contrasts between people.”
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But she said, “In the end, I've made a very concerted decision to use my remaining advertising dollars for only positive ads. That was the strongest way to end in the sea of negative advertising, and the way to distinguish yourself from others.”
At the end of the day, Gorbea said she was confident all the candidates will find unity again as Democrats.
“When you compete on the basketball court or the football field, it is possible to shake hands at the end, or if you are older, to go have a couple of beers.”
Could she have a beer with McKee and Foulkes?
“I would actually extend the invitation,” she said.