Republican challengers to Rhode Island
Representative David Cicilline oppose gay marriage, but support civil
unions.
Cicilline, who joined three other
openly gay members of Congress on November 2, looks likely to face a
number of obstacles to re-election. His 2010 primary challenger,
businessman Anthony Gemma, recently told The Wall Street Journal
that he is “strongly considering” another stab at becoming
the Democratic nominee.
Cicilline's approval rating headed
south after he traded in his job as mayor of Providence for
Washington, opening the door for a Republican candidate in one of the
nation's bluest states.
Former state Representative John J.
Loughlin, who narrowly lost to Cicilline in last year's general
election, announced this week that he is “getting ready” for a
rematch.
And a second Republican, former Rhode
Island Police Superintendent Brendan P. Doherty, on Thursday
officially threw his hat in the ring, the Providence Journal
reported.
Doherty and Loughlin oppose giving gay
and lesbian couples the right to marry, but support recognizing such
relationships with civil unions.
Rhode Island appears poised to become
the fifth state in the nation to legalize civil unions, a fact that
suggests Cicilline is headed toward a bruising battle to keep his
job.