Tag: riprogdems

In yet another sign that Angel Taveras isn’t guaranteed to garner the progressive vote in his bid for governor, Sam Bell of the RI Progressive Democrats said he and his organization are considering endorsing Clay Pell instead.

Pell, the ProJo reported yesterday, met with the group of left-leaning, politically-active progressive Democrats last week.

“I was very impressed,” Bell told me last night, saying the 31-year-old political novice gave the group a firm commitment to work towards greater reproductive freedom for women but didn’t offer pointed policy positions on the economy or education.

Bell was an early and ardent supporter of Taveras, but said he is reconsidering that support now that the electoral choices are coming into focus. He said he was concerned about Taveras aligning himself with conservative Democrats like Cumberland Mayor Dan McKee and Sen. Maryellen Goodwin, a close ally of Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed. He also cited Taveras’ support for charter schools as a reason to question the Providence mayor’s progressive credentials.

“The race has been changing rapidly,” Bell said.

Pell is expected to tack to the left of Taveras and Raimondo on education and tax reform and has received early support from the teachers’ unions who have every reason to suspect that neither more well-known likely Dems will have their best interests in mind: Raimondo slashed their pensions and Taveras closed schools, laid off teachers and supported Achievement First.