Reply #6: Third Party Candidacy?

[anchor of hope]

Has anyone thought about what might happen if Laffey defeats Chafee in the Sept. primary, and Chafee decides to run in the general election as an independent? If this scenario transpires, could we have a repeat of the 1980 NY Senate race, where incumbent Senator Jacob Javits lost the GOP primary to Alfonse D'Amato and subsequently reentered the race as the Liberal candidate, and losing to D'Amato in the general election? Although RI does not have a Liberal party, an independent Chafee bid in November, 2006 would split the progressive, Democratic-leaning vote, possibly resulting in a Laffey victory with 37% of the vote.