2010 Rhode Island gubernatorial election

The 2010 Rhode Island gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 2010. It was preceded by the primary election on September 14, 2010. Incumbent Republican governor Donald Carcieri was term-limited in 2010. The non-partisan Cook Political Report, The New York Times and CQ Politics rated the gubernatorial election as a toss-up.^[1][2][3]

2010 Rhode Island gubernatorial election

← 2006 November 2, 2010 2014 →

Nominee Lincoln Chafee John Robitaille Party Independent Republican Popular vote 123,571 114,911 Percentage 36.10% 33.57%   Nominee Frank Caprio Ken Block Party Democratic Moderate Popular vote 78,896 22,146 Percentage 23.05% 6.47%

County results Municipality results Chafee:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60% Robitaille:      30–40%      40–50% Caprio:      30–40%

Governor before election Donald Carcieri Republican Elected Governor Lincoln Chafee Independent

With 90 percent of the districts reporting on election night, Independent Lincoln Chafee was declared the winner, with 36.1% of the vote.^[4] As of 2023^[update], this was the last time Newport County voted for the Republican candidate in a statewide election. Chafee had served Rhode Island in the U.S. Senate as a Republican from 1999 to 2007; he later joined the Democratic Party in 2013.^[5]

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Frank Caprio, State Treasurer^[6]

Polling (D)

Poll source	Dates administered	Frank Caprio	Patrick C. Lynch	David Cicilline	Elizabeth H. Roberts
Quest Research[7]	February 24–25, 2009	30%	17.4%	13%	12.4%

Results

Democratic Party primary results^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Frank Caprio	73,142	100.00
Total votes			73,142	100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

• Victor Moffitt, former state representative
• John Robitaille, businessman

Polling (R)

Poll source	Dates administered	Steve Laffey	Joseph Trillo
Quest Research[7]	February 24–25, 2009	29.3%	6.9%

Results

Republican primary results^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John Robitaille	13,204	70.17
	Republican	Victor Moffitt	5,613	29.83
Total votes			18,817	100.00

General election

Candidates

Major

• Frank Caprio (D)
• Lincoln Chafee (I)
• John Robitaille (R)

Minor

• Ronald Algieri (I)
• Ken Block (M)^[9]
• Todd Giroux (I)
• Joseph Lusi (I) ^[10]

Campaign

The campaign drew nationwide attention in late October when President Barack Obama, faced with a choice between Democrat Caprio and independent Chafee (who, although he had been a Republican as a senator, had endorsed the Democratic Obama for president in 2008) chose not to make any endorsement in the race. Caprio responded to the lack of an endorsement by his fellow Democrat by stating that the President "can take his endorsement and really shove it as far as I'm concerned."^[11]

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
Cook Political Report[12]	Tossup	October 14, 2010
Rothenberg[13]	Lean I (flip)	October 28, 2010
RealClearPolitics[14]	Tossup	November 1, 2010
Sabato's Crystal Ball[15]	Lean I (flip)	October 28, 2010
CQ Politics[16]	Tossup	October 28, 2010

Polling

Poll source	Dates administered	Lincoln Chafee (I)	Frank Caprio (D)	John Robitaille (R)	Ken Block (M)
WJAR Channel 10[17]	October 23–26, 2010	35%	25%	28%	2%
Rasmussen Reports[18]	October 21, 2010	35%	28%	25%	—
WJAR Channel 10[19]	October 4–6, 2010	33%	37%	22%	2%
Rasmussen Reports[18]	October 6, 2010	33%	30%	22%	4%
Brown University[20]	September 27–29, 2010	23%	30%	14%	2%
WPRI-TV[21]	September 22–26, 2010	30%	33%	19%	4%
Rasmussen Reports[22]	September 16, 2010	33%	30%	23%	5%
Quest Research[23]	September 15–17, 2010	24%	36%	13%	2%
Rasmussen Reports[24]	August 17, 2010	32%	38%	20%	—
Brown University[25]	July 27–30, 2010	26%	28%	7%	3%
Rasmussen Reports[26]	July 21, 2010	37%	30%	23%	—
Rasmussen Reports[27]	June 1, 2010	35%	32%	25%
Rasmussen Reports[28]	April 21, 2010	33%	34%	21%
Rasmussen Reports[29]	February 25, 2010	37%	27%	19%
Brown University[30]	February 9–12, 2010	34%	28%	12%

Results

Rhode Island gubernatorial election, 2010^[31]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Lincoln Chafee	123,571	36.10%	+36.10%
	Republican	John Robitaille	114,911	33.57%	−17.44%
	Democratic	Frank Caprio	78,896	23.05%	−25.94%
	Moderate	Ken Block	22,146	6.47%
	Independent	Joeseph Lusi	1,091	0.32%
	Independent	Todd Giroux	882	0.26%
	Independent	Ronald Algieri	793	0.23%
Plurality			8,660	2.53%	+0.51%
Turnout			342,290
	Independent gain from Republican		Swing

By county

	Lincoln Chafee Independent		John Robitaille Republican		Frank Caprio Democratic		Kenneth Block Moderate		Others		Total
County	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%
Bristol	7,323	37.04%	6,796	34.37%	3,950	19.98%	1,547	7.82%	155	0.78%	19,771
Kent	22,563	35.62%	23,303	36.79%	12,199	19.26%	4,745	7.49%	533	0.85%	63,343
Newport	11,313	37.55%	11,885	39.45%	5,165	17.15%	1,497	4.97%	264	0.88%	30,124
Providence	62,608	34.90%	55,258	30.80%	49,266	27.46%	10,837	6.04%	1,417	0.79%	179,386
Washington	19,734	39.80%	17,637	35.57%	8,192	16.73%	3,518	7.10%	396	0.80%	49,577

Counties that flipped from Republican to Independent

• Bristol (largest municipality: Bristol)
• Washington (largest municipality: South Kingstown)

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Independent

• Providence (largest municipality: Providence)

See also

• United States gubernatorial elections, 2010