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Julie Casimiro will again challenge Doreen Costa for NK House seat


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casimiro costa2Democrat Julie Casimiro is again challenging Republican Rep. Doreen Costa for the District 31 House seat in North Kingstown, RI Future has learned.

Casimiro lost to Costa in 2014 53.1 percent to 46.8 percent.

“Running again was not part of my plan as my family commitments have been exhausting, but the groundswell of support for me to do so has been absolutely overwhelming, from within the district and throughout the state,” she said in a news release. “It’s hard to say no during a presidential election year!”

Casimiro added, ““I am running on a platform of respectable values and a desire to serve my constituents for what’s important to them – creating jobs, improving the economy,” she said in the press release. We need to do things differently in order to move Rhode Island forward…the status quo is not going to cut it!”

In 2014, Casimiro took 2242 votes and Costa won 2547 – a difference of 352 votes.

While Costa, a very conservative tea party Republican is close with Democratic Speaker of the House Nick Mattiello, Casimiro’s press release says she has the endorsement of the Democratic Party. The speaker of the House has great influence with the Democratic Party in Rhode Island.

In 2014, as was reported by RI Future, Casimiro won the endorsement of the Republican Town Council President Liz Dolan, who said at the time, “I have not been impressed with Doreen’s record. “We need to bring this party back to where it is more moderate.” But the North Kingstown Fire Fighters union endorsed Costa, saying, “We looked at who has been in our corner.”

According to her press release: “Casimiro has experience in both the private and non-profit sectors.  She has been married to her husband, Richard, for 32 years.  She has held several leadership positions on various boards and committees and earned a BS in Marketing from Providence College.  She is a graduate of Leadership Rhode Island’s class of 2008 and newly appointed 2nd Vice Chair of the North Kingstown Democratic Town Committee.”

Costa was a guiding force behind the Exeter recall election and mocking then-Governor Linc Chafee for using the term holiday tree instead of Christmas tree. In 2014, she told RI Future she was less conservative than people think. “People have me as this extremist and I find that very offensive,” she said. “I’m not as to the right as people think I am.”

Update: I reached out on Twitter to North Kingstown fire fighters to find out of they would again endorse Costa. In a direct message, that they said I could publish: “@NK_Fire has been burnt by politicians, both local and statewide in the past from both parties. Therefore, we have chose not to be politically active at this point.”

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Conservatives from both parties scramble NK political alliances


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casimiro costa2Rep. Doreen Costa is too conservative for North Kingstown Town Council President Liz Dolan, a Republican who endorsed Democrat Julie Casimiro for the House District 31 seat.

But Costa’s conservative credentials didn’t stop the local fire fighters’ union from throwing their support behind the tea party right-winger who sponsored a right-to-work bill in the state legislature.

“We haven’t had that conversation yet,” said Ray Furtado, president of IAFF 1651, which represents NK fire fighters, when I asked him about Costa’s support for right-to-work legislation. “We looked at who has been in our corner.”

That’s not how Dolan decided who to support.

The town council and fire fighters are mired in a bitter legal battle over staffing issues, and both House candidates have been advocating that the council drop its lawsuit. Furtado said “in no way, shape or form is this negative about Casimiro” noting they decided to endorse Costa before Casimiro decided to run.

Dolan said she broke ranks and backed a Democrat because “I have not been impressed with Doreen’s record.”

She said Costa’s allegiance to the NRA, her role in the Exeter recall election and her hyper-concern over holiday decorations have made her ineffective at representing the district. “We need to bring this party back to where it is more moderate,” Dolan said.

Costa accused Dolan of lying saying, “I had nothing to do with that Exeter recall.”

She also portrayed herself as a moderate. “People have me as this extremist and I find that very offensive,” she said. “I’m not as to the right as people think I am.”

At least not two weeks away from a general election, she’s not.

When asked why she sponsored a right-to-work bill, Costa said, “I did it because I was asked to do it.” At first she said she didn’t recall who asked her to sponsor this bill, and then she remembered, she said, that it was two union teachers whose names she did not know.

“It’s not something I would ever revisit,” Costa said about right-to-work legislation. “Not right now anyway.”

About her bill to drug test people who benefit from certain public subsidies, Costa said, “I still think it’s a good idea but I am not going to put it in again.”

She is still undecided about payday loan reform and raising the minimum wage, but she walked back her vote against same sex marriage. “If I had that to do over again, I would probably vote yes on marriage equality,” she said.

On guns, though, Costa said she’s as conservative as ever. “I will not change my mind on gun legislation.”

Casimiro chalked up Costa’s tack to the center as typical election-year politics. “I think Doreen is running scared right now,” she said.

But Casimiro also has a reputation for being a conservative – a conservative Democrat. “I am fiscally conservative,” she said.

She said she’s also pro-choice, pro-marriage equality and will support working class legislation. “I would absolutely raise the minimum wage,” Casimiro said. “It’s not a living wage.”

Casimiro is a board member of two charter schools in Rhode Island: Blakcstone Valley Prep in Cumberland and Southside Elementary in Providence. “It doesn’t make me anti-labor,” she said. “It means I’m pro-kid.” She added that she “works in some of the worst performing schools in the state” through her work with Family Services of Rhode Island.

Her husband is a Republican and she says she donated to Allan Fung’s first campaign for mayor of Cranston when they worked together at MetLife. This year Casimiro is voting for Gina Raimondo, whom she said she has been campaigning with. “I’m on Team Raimondo.”