Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

WASHINGTON -- Mark Zaccaria, the Republican who took on Rep. Jim Langevin in the 2008 election and lost resoundingly, was in Washington this week to do some groundwork for a fresh challenge next year.

Zaccaria, who came to make the rounds of potential financial backers, suggested that his background as a pragmatic businessman will be in tune with voter preferences in the 2010 elections.

"My knowledge of how to get around a balance sheet and make a payroll'' will be a strong selling point in hard times, particularly against a Democrat who lacks such experience, said Zaccaria. He said the giant economic stimulus bill that President Obama signed into law last month is the best example of how his business orientation distinguishes him from Langevin - who voted for the measure.

"I don't anticipate that all of the stimulus money will be effectively used,'' he said. Zaccaria said he is not opposed in principle to such federal pump-priming measures to invigorate an ailing economy. But the law that Congress passed was so flawed that it should have been scrapped, he said.

Zaccaria also found fault with the federal bailout of the insurance giant AIG. "My inclination,'' Zaccaria said of AIG, would have been ``to let it fail.'' As a business-oriented Republican, he explained, "I'm not entirely opposed to sitting back and watching the forces of nature and the economy take their course'' when businesses make mistakes that endanger them.

Zaccaria, a marketing consultant and former member of the North Kingstown Town Council, lost his challenge to Langevin last year by a margin of 70 to 30. In preparation for his second go at the five-term Democrat, Zaccaria said he aims to raise at least $100,000 in the coming months.

"I need to do that by the end of next year in order to be invited back to Washington, D.C.,'' he said. Zaccaria said that if he amasses a war chest of that size this year -- about double what he spent on his 2008 campaign -- potential contributors to next year's election will begin to take him seriously.

Ultimately, Zaccaria said he hopes to raise between $500,000 and $1 million for his run against Langevin.

He said one of his meetings this week was with representatives of the National Republican Congressional Committee -- the campaign arm of House Republicans. He said their message was, "We'll keep an eye on you'' and decide later whether his campaign merits the organization's support.

 Tags  langevin North Kingstown RI

Comments

Don said:

Jim Langevin is nice kid who like the rest of the Rhode Island congressional delegation is absolutely worthless to Rhode Island's citizens. Our delegation is the biggest group of light-weights in Washington. None of them has any real political courage, foresight, or clout. It's almost irrelevant who replaces them as long they're ALL replaced!

Link | March 27, 2009 4:42 PM
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ducati said:

To bad to only Republican running last time was Zaccaria. That balot needed a "None of the above" selection. I'am sure that would have won.

Link | March 30, 2009 12:55 PM
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