TALKING POLITICS The return of Sheldon Whitehouse BY IAN DONNIS

Edged by Myrth York by fewer than 1000 votes in the 2002 Democratic gubernatorial primary, Sheldon Whitehouse has reason to have a particular appreciation for the value of every single vote.

The narrow loss for the former attorney general and US attorney should help to steel Whitehouse’s determination as he fights Secretary of State Matthew Brown in the Democratic primary for the seat held by US Senator Lincoln Chafee. But even if he beats Brown, the 49-year-old resident of Providence’s East Side will face a stiff challenge in taking on Chafee. It’s possible, too, that the Democratic primary will work entirely to Chafee’s benefit, as was the case when US Representative Robert Weygand and former lieutenant governor Richard Licht tore each other apart in 2000.

In terms of the impact, "I guess that depends on how everybody behaves," Whitehouse says, noting how he emerged from the 1998 Democratic primary for attorney general to handily defeat popular Republican Nancy Mayer. The Senate hopeful, who had previously lent his backing for the race to US Representative Jim Langevin, announced his candidacy on Monday, April 4, about two weeks after Langevin decided to retain his House seat.

Along with personal wealth, Whitehouse enjoys the backing of much of Rhode Island’s Democratic establishment in his primary campaign against Brown. The campaign of the secretary of state, who jumped into the Senate race in February, announced this week that it has raised more than $500,000 in the last two months, almost all of it from individuals, and more than $100,000 of it through the Internet. In the Democratic battle, Whitehouse can be expected to tout his lengthy resume of public service, while Brown will talk up his work in the community with City Year and the Democracy Compact, a get-out-the-vote effort.

Following up on recent salvos against Chafee by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee — which is making the Rhode Island Senate campaign one of its top national priorities — Whitehouse says, "I think that we are a potentially critical stage in Washington right now. The Bush Republicans are close to achieving essentially absolute power, and the only real line defense is the historical rules of the US Senate, and we are a handful of votes from not being able to defend there. We really can no longer afford a Republican senator from Rhode Island. I think we need to have a fellow Democrat to stand with Jack Reed, stand with the interests of Rhode Island, instead of having to [side] with the Bush Republicans." Although reluctant to get into much immediate detail, Whitehouse pledges to sketch an issue-by-issue comparison with Chafee as the primary heats up.

As a moderate fiscal hawk who supports the environment and voted against the war in Iraq, Chafee has a strong measure of support in Rhode Island, and the power of incumbency, along with his name, is another big advantage.

In another reflection of the state’s small size, longtime ties exist between the Chafee and Whitehouse clans, and even Brown and Whitehouse have donated to each other’s past campaigns. As we edge steadily closer to November 2006, though, the genteel early days of this battle will surely be just a memory.