A Republican has not represented Rhode Island's second congressional district since 1991, but Michael Riley, a businessman and consultant, hopes to break the Democrats' two-decade streak this November with his campaign to unseat six-term Rep. James Langevin, D-R.I. Last week, Riley defeated three other Republicans to win his party's nomination with 65.6 percent of the vote. The closest runner-up garnered 18.5 percent of the vote.
With the weight of his party behind him and a political climate that some experts believe will favor anti-incumbent Republican challengers - especially in the House of Representatives - Riley probably represents the most significant threat Langevin has faced during his tenure in the U.S. Congress, said Maureen Moakley, professor of political science at the University of Rhode Island.
While campaigning, Riley has frequently contrasted his life in the private sector with Langevin's relative inexperience outside of professional politics. "(Langevin) knows nothing about the economy," Riley told The Herald. "Never has. Probably never will."
Langevin was unavailable for comment.
Riley has highlighted his experience starting companies and working on Wall Street to convince voters that he knows the inner workings of the economy in a way Langevin does not. Riley has also signed a pledge that would limit him to three terms - six years - in the House of Representatives if he is elected. Riley said he believes that signing the pledge indicates he is not interested in a career as a politician - he already has a career in business, he said - but that he is just someone who wants to fix a broken system.
Riley has run unsuccessfully for both the Narragansett Town Council in 2008 and the Republican nomination to contend for a seat in the Rhode Island State Senate in 2010.
While six years in the House would not allow Riley enough time to build up seniority - which often translates into political clout - Riley said his opponent has spent 12 years in Congress and "considers his greatest accomplishment signing the health care bill, which I think should be repealed." Riley cited a 2008 ranking by the National Journal that listed Langevin as the 217th most effective Democratic congressman - out of 235.
This ranking was published when Democrats had a majority in the House, which the party has since lost. "They could vote him in this year and have him be a minority member who doesn't head any committees," Riley said.
Despite an ambitious campaign that may reenergize the Republican Party in a district often considered a Democratic lock, Riley still appears poised to lose the general election, Moakley said.
But in a district where the Democrat consistently wins with upwards of 60 percent of the vote, "you have to put (Riley's run) in context," she said.
"Even if there's a credible challenge (to Langevin), it's newsworthy," Moakley said. "It's not just about this race. It's about the fact that the Republican might be in it for the long haul," she added.
Riley told Rhode Island National Public Radio that he may be willing to use $1.5 million of his own money to narrow the gap between him and his opponent.
The campaign will likely revolve around issues similar to those central to the presidential election - the size and scope of the federal government, tax reform and President Barack Obama's signature health care law, Riley said. Both Riley and Langevin are generally pro-life, though they differ on marriage equality, which Langevin supports and Riley does not.
Riley said he wants to concentrate on economic issues in Congress, because he has spent "35 years as a business guy." He wants to reform the tax code to make the U.S. more competitive with foreign countries by replacing the progressive tax rate with a flat tax rate, he said, adding, "I'm for limited government, which means flatter, simpler taxes."
But not all of Riley's policies are in line with the those of the Republican leadership - he said he has rejected the party's refusal to raise any form of taxes. A flat, simple tax code requires closing loopholes for wealthy individuals and corporations, which "in some ways" is not what the Republican Party currently supports, Riley said. He has refused to put his name on a pledge circulated by Americans for Tax Reform, Grover Norquist's tax reform advocacy group, which would commit him to not voting for any tax increases while in Congress and has been signed by the majority of Republican congressional candidates.
But Riley supports lowering taxes on corporations as well as people. "If the rest of the world was at 90 percent (corporate tax rate), we might be able to raise, but it's not," Riley said. "We're trading all over the world. Canada is 15 percent, ours is 35 percent," he added.
On most other issues, Riley supports the Republican leadership. He opposes most of Obama's health care reform law, except for the provisions that prevent insurers from excluding individuals with preexisting conditions and extend the age people can stay on their parents' health insurance to 26.
Riley said he also supports the repeal of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Financial Protection Act, calling it a "bunch of baloney." He compared both the Dodd-Frank bill and the health care bill to banning wheels to prevent car accidents.
Riley will be able to make an intelligent and eloquent case for the Republican party's platform, but the odds against him are likely too steep for him to overcome, Moakley said. Langevin has been a conscientious legislator and maintained his connection to his hometown, Warwick, a major city in the second district that represents 20 percent of his constituents. These advantages on top of the typical Democratic voting block will make Langevin very difficult to defeat, she added.
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