Caprio Taking On Robitaille

As I noted in my cover story on Frank Caprio's gubernatorial bid in this week's Phoenix, his competition with Republican John Robitaille for right-of-center votes left some political operatives wondering if he would be compelled to take on the GOP nominee more directly. The danger in such a move is that opens a two-front war - he still has to fight Lincoln Chafee. And the battle with Robitaille could redound to Chafee's benefit.

Well, it seems Caprio is willing to take the risk. From the AP:

Democratic candidate for Rhode Island governor Frank Caprio is going after Republican rival John Robitaille (ROH'-bih-teye) in a new mailing.

The two-page mailing is an apparent recognition by Caprio that he is likely competing with Robitaille for the same base of conservative-leaning voters. The race has so far focused mostly on Caprio and independent Lincoln Chafee.

The mailing contends that Robitaille is "not ready to manage Rhode Island's budget crisis." It also includes a quote from an August newspaper article in which Robitaille acknowledged that he was "not a budget guru."

The Republican Governors Association has booked more than $400,000 worth of TV ads in a sign of support for Robitaille