Rhody Governor's Race in National Eye

Further evidence that Rhode Island's governor's race is attracting national attention - a blurb in The Fix, the Washington Post's well-regarded political blog, on Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Roberts' decision to skip the race and focus on re-election.

The all-but-certain candidacy of Lincoln Chafee, a former US Senator, is responsible for much of the national buzz around the race. He's a known quantity in Washington and political junkies are curious about whether his independent run will succeed.

But the robust race on the Democratic side - now diminished with Roberts' decision - is also a curiosity. And national observers are always curious about the party balance among governors - a balance Rhode Island is almost certain to upend with a Republican governor on the way out and the GOPer who would replace him, State Rep. Joe Trillo, considered a long shot.