Day After Primary Analysis by Scott MacKay

The conservative anger that has rippled across the nation was nonexistent in Tuesday’s Rhode Island Democratic and Republican primaries. On the Democratic side, there was no anger at all directed at the party’s establishment – for the first time in memory, every endorsed statewide and federal candidate won comfortable victories. There was no gubernatorial contest, but Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts, Secretary of State Ralph Mollis and U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin cruised to easy victories.

Roberts opponent, Boston Red Sox executive Jeremy Kapstein, received only about 26,000 votes, not enough to fill Fenway Park, where he spent much of his campaign.

In the attorney general contest, Rep. Peter Kilmartin, a former Pawtucket police captain, wrested the party nomination. And in the contest to succeed U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy in the U.S. House, outgoing Providence Mayor David Cicilline emerged the victor from a four-way primary.

Angel Taveras, the successful Providence mayoral candidate, was not endorsed by the Democratic Party, but had substantial support from organized labor and East Side liberals. He was able to put together the East Side-South Side coalition that now dominates Providence elections. But what was most striking and shows how well his campaign did, and the demographic changes in the city, was the Taveras victory in Ward 5, once an Irish-American and Italian-American bastion in Mount Pleasant and Elmhurst,where Taveras now lives.

Taveras was successful in painting two Federal Hill politicians, City Council member John Lombardi and House Finance Committee Chairman Steven Costantino, as insiders who had been around government too long. Taveras, 40, is a former Housing Court judge who has never held elective office. He is very likely to become the city’s first Latino mayor; there is no Republican candidate and he now faces only independent Jon Scott, who has not been able to raise much money so far and has lost two races for Congress.

On the GOP side, the paltry turnout of about 18,000 also gave endorsed candidates, starting with John Robitaille, the standard-bearer for governor, strong victories.

The only real throw-the-bums out anger came from the Democratic left, not the GOP right. And it was in General Assembly elections. Nine House Democratic incumbents were tossed from office on a day when the progressive wing of the party and organized labor were successful.

The biggest upset was one forged in Narragansett and South Kingstown by Teresa Tanzi, who thrashed incumbent House Judiciary Chairman David Caprio, brother of Frank Caprio, the party’s candidate for governor. Tanzi ran a relentless campaign, starting more than a year ago. As is always the case in these races, local issues were paramount, with Tanzi saying that Caprio had lost touch with voters. There was also speculation that David Caprio’s loss may hurt his brother, but it is way too early to say that with any authority.

In another big upset, Bristol Rep. Doug Gablinske went down to newcomer Richard Morrison in a joust where organized labor worked diligently to defeat Gablinske, who famously called unionized teachers “pigs at the trough’’ at a State House hearing. Gablinske’s reelection was a major priority of the Rhode Island Statewide Coalition, a conservative business group. But union volunteers from the United Food and  Commercial Workers, the Steelworkers and the teacher unions canvassed the district for Morrison. And Jim Riley, president of the UFCW, ran a relentless effort on behalf of Morrison. Morrision also had a stellar mail campaign done by Brad Dufault, son of former Democratic state chairman Guy Dufault.

Peter Wasylyk, first elected to the House from Providence in 1984, lost to Raymond Hull, a Providence police officer. Hull’s mail campaign was done by Anthony Pesaturo, longtime Rhode Island pollster and political consultant. (Pesaturo yesterday conducted the only exit poll, at the Ward 14 Schneider Arena polling station at Providence College.  His exit poll of about 250 of the roughly 900 voters at the precinct gave early hints of the Taveras surge as well as presdicting the other contests and the Ruggeiro blowout.)

In another race that labor had an interest in, incumbent Mary Ann Shallcross Smith lost to Jeremiah O’Grady, the union-supported candidate. In another race the labor movement worked hard on, Sen. Dominick Ruggerio of Providence, third in the Senate leadership line, easily kept his seat.

“I’d say it was a pretty good night for organized labor,’’ said George Nee, AFL_CIO state president.

While House Speaker Gordon Fox, D-Providence was not pleased that he lost some stalwarts, he probably can keep his perch as speaker. The new House Democratic caucus will be more liberal than the last, so Fox may have to shift left a bit, which should not be too difficult for him. He has a safe seat from Providence’s East Side. There may be some leadership changes; Majority Leader Nicholas Mattiello may face a challenge. And there will be a new House Finance chairman; Steven Costantino left the post to run a losing campaign for Providence mayor.

It was also notably a bad evening for the talk radio shouters, especially former Providence Mayor Buddy Cianci. Once again, voters go to talk radio for entertainment, not for voting advice. Cianci relentlessly hammered Taveras,  Cicilline and Roberts.