RI-Gov: We have a very rare primary night on Wednesday as Rhode Islanders go to the polls. The big contest to watch will be the Democratic primary, where Gov. Gina Raimondo is trying to fend off former Secretary of State Matt Brown.
Raimondo has a massive financial advantage, but she's had a long and turbulent relationship with progressives since she pushed through pension reforms as state treasurer. Raimondo has also attracted some bad press during her governorship: Most notably, a digital system that was supposed to deal with food stamp benefits failed, the state has been involved in an expensive court case involving nursing homes, and Rhode Island recently lost the minor league baseball team the Pawtucket Red Sox to Massachusetts. Brown has also been trying to portray the governor as too close to corporate interests.
No one has released any polls here, but Raimondo's decision to go up with a negative ad against Brown in the final weeks of the race is a sign she thinks he's a threat. Former state Rep. Spencer Dickinson is also in, and it's possible he could split the anti-incumbent vote enough to allow Raimondo to win with a plurality.
On the GOP side, the frontrunner is Cranston Mayor Allan Fung, who lost the 2014 contest to Raimondo 41-36. Fung has a huge financial advantage over state House Minority Leader Patricia Morgan, and she even released a poll in early August giving Fung a 44-33 lead.
Polls close on Wednesday at 8 PM ET. We won't be liveblogging this one, but we'll be posting an open thread at Daily Kos Elections for anyone who wants to discuss the results as they come in.