PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Responding to speculation that he might run for lieutenant governor now that Governor Chafee has become a Democrat, Providence Mayor Angel Taveras said Thursday that "there is no condition under which I would run for lieutenant governor."
"I am seriously considering running for governor. This is the only office I would consider other than the office of mayor," Taveras said through his campaign finance director, Peter Baptista. "News reports or statements implying otherwise are simply untrue."
Chafee, a former Republican who was elected governor as an independent, announced his plan to become a Democrat on Wednesday and filled out the paperwork Thursday morning at Warwick City Hall.
His switch sets up a potentially bruising Democratic primary next year with Taveras and state General Treasurer Gina M. Raimondo, who has also said she is considering a run for governor.