I am thrilled to receive the endorsement of the Rhode Island Fraternal Order of Police, representing the rank and file membership of every Rhode Island police department from Providence to Portsmouth.
Clearly they appreciate my commitment to enforcing our laws against illegal immigration and they understand that I am the candidate in this race that supports their mission.
It seems like a lifetime ago, but this time last year, few Americans knew who Scott Brown was and even fewer believed that he could overcome overwhelming odds to become the next Senator from Massachusetts.
I am thrilled to welcome Senator Scott Brown back to Rhode Island on October 25th for a luncheon in Providence.
Can you join us for lunch? Proceeds from this event will help fund our last paid media push to help me win this important race in Rhode Island’s first district.
For more information see the invitation here or call my campaign headquarters at (401) 383-1818.
Thank you!
I’m running for Congress because I believe we need a change of course. David Cicilline is a typical Washington-style politician – and can’t be trusted to put America back on track.
David Cicilline illegally collected more than $20,000 in salary that he was not entitled to – and he only gave it back because he got caught. Today we have $20,000 in this wheelbarrow to show how ludicrous his excuse is. How did he not notice that he took $20,000?
Many Rhode Island families are struggling and are forced to make tough choices between which bills to pay and which to let slide. Many Rhode Islanders would notice a difference of $20 in their account. It is farfetched – and frankly unbelievable – that Mayor Cicilline would not have noticed all of this money is his account.
If we were to take him at his word, it raises a larger and equally troubling point. If Mayor Cicilline misappropriated $20,000 and gave it to himself, how can we possibly trust him to keep track of $3.5 trillion federal budget?
We need a change in course. We need to rein in spending, not spend more. The stimulus was a bust – it didn’t stimulate anything, it was just more spending of money we don’t have. Obamacare is a disaster – it hurts seniors, it hurts small business and puts government in between patients and their doctors. David Cicilline supports more spending and supports Obamacare. David Cicilline is for more spending, bigger government and more taxes.
If we can’t trust him to watch our money in city hall, how can we trust him to watch our money in Washington?
Last week we opened our Woonsocket headquarters where I was joined by an exceptional group of Woonsocket elected officials — many of them Democrats. The Valley Breeze did a major story on the event and the significance of the Democratic defection from the Cicilline camp. In case you missed it, the piece is here.
I’m pleased to announce that I’ve been endorsed by Americans for Legal Immigration (ALIPAC).
During this campaign I’ve made my position on illegal immigration clear. We must secure our border and crack down on unscrupulous employers that take advantage of this vulnerable population. The pathway to citizenship should begin in the same place for every person wishing to immigrate to this country — at the immigration office of one’s own country.
We are a nation of immigrants, but we are also a nation of laws. It is the federal government’s responsibility to enforce those laws and ensure that our borders are secure and that immigration is a safe and legal process.
My opponent, Mayor David Cicilline, has a very different view. He has run Providence as a virtual santuary city and believes that there should be a “pathway to citizenship” for those that break the law and sneak across our border. The failure of the Providence Police to turn over Marco Riz to ICE agents — even with a deportation order on his record – allowed him to kidnap and rape a Rhode Island woman.
This election presents a real choice to the voters of this district and the illegal alien crisis is another illustration that David Cicilline is wrong for Rhode Island and the wrong man to send to Congress.
Below is an excerpt from the ALIPAC press release:
“John J. Loughlin’s Democratic opponent, David Cicilline, is one of the few federal candidates in America displaying open support for Obama’s Comprehensive Immigration Reform Amnesty which would add over 12 million new voters that support illegal immigration into American politics. Those voting for Cicilline would literally be voting to replace their own votes in future American elections.”
The ALIPAC release can be found here.
With just four weeks before election day, the campaign is in overdrive. We are lucky to have the support of hundreds of volunteers, thousands of donors and many, many others who have a sign in their yard or a bumper sticker on their car.
We still need your help to win.
Let’s talk about money first. My opponent began this race by converting his mayoral war chest of more than $700,000 into money for this campaign. He spent the bulk of his money to win the Democratic primary with just 37% of the vote, despite high name ID and the party’s endorsement. Bottom line, he is well funded and is likely to have an aggressive and negative media buy in the next few weeks.
I will need your financial help to be able to win this race. We have just begun our paid advertising and are complementing that effort with hard-hitting earned media. In the coming days we will be exposing the extreme differences between me and my opponent, but we need more resources to get my message across. Please donate online at www.johnloughlin.org or by sending a check to Friends of John Loughlin, PO Box 244, Adamsville RI 02801. No contribution is too small. The maximum contribution per person, per cycle is $2,400.
We also need volunteers. We need volunteers to make phone calls, help with mailings, attend events, “honk n’ wave” and work on election day. We have a great network of captains across the district to coordinate events in every town. If you’ve got time to give, we have a job for you!
Want to display your support? One thousand yard signs flew “off the shelves” in just two weeks, but we’re restocking this week. E-mail info@johnloughlin.org if you’d like a sign and we’ll arrange for pickup or delivery. We’ve got bumper stickers too!
Thank you in advance for your support!
Big news! The Cook Political Report has changed this race from “likely D” to “lean D.” Here’s the analysis from the folks at Cook…
RI-01 OPEN (Kennedy) Likely D to Lean D
Sure enough, Providence Mayor David Cicilline was able to win the mid-September Democratic primary to succeed retiring Rep. Patrick Kennedy, but it came at a bit of a cost. In the run-up to the primary, Cicilline was forced to acknowledge that the city had improperly given him pay raises as mayor between 2006 and 2009, and rival businessman Anthony Gemma even called on the DCCC to ask Cicilline to end his campaign. Cicilline won the primary with 37 percent of the vote, not a terribly impressive showing for the one candidate in the race with universal name ID and a big financial edge.
Meanwhile, GOP state Rep. John Loughlin points out that a Providence Mayor has never been elected to Congress, and Loughlin has been able to stockpile his resources for the general election. By the numbers, this may be the most Democratic seat currently on Republicans’ target list, and both national parties may be hesitant to get involved, but local Democrats admit that this will be the most competitive House race Rhode Island has seen in over a decade. Cicilline leads in early polling and still has an advantage, but it’s a legitimate race.
Great press conference today. Here’s the text of my remarks.
Across the country, the news media reports that voters are angry and they want change. The story is no different in Rhode Island. On November 2nd, voters in Rhode Island’s first congressional district will have the opportunity to vote for me or to vote for my opponent, embattled Mayor David Cicilline.
I am the candidate that wants to chart a new course for Rhode Island. My opponent will be for the same disastrous policies that have gotten us into the dire straits that we are in. My opponent has pledged to support Speaker Pelosi if elected to Congress and this would be just one of his many bad votes to advance her left-wing agenda.
To show what we know we can expect from a Congressman Cicilline, I have this simple illustration. 
He and Nancy Pelosi are like peas in a pod.
Like Nancy Pelosi, my opponent has a history of raising taxes. He favors repealing some of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts and raising taxes on the investors and entrepreneurs whose success is key to our economic recovery. His campaign has brushed these tax cuts off as “trickle down” economics while leading economists agree that extending the tax cuts would help the middle class and grow the economy.
As mayor of Providence he has shown a propensity towards raising taxes – even when he said he wouldn’t. In his state of the city speech this year he promised “No hidden fees, no phantom taxes, not even a dime’s increase in parking meter fares.” And he added, “People can’t be asked to pay higher property taxes.” Just a few months later when it was clear he would leave Providence with over $50 million in debt, he balanced the budget on the backs of Providence property owners.
I believe that we should cut taxes – and maintain the existing cuts – and give employers access to their own money so that they can invest in their businesses, create jobs and grow the economy. My record as a state legislator stands in stark contrast to my opponent’s tenure as mayor. I have voted against tax increases at every opportunity and been a champion for lowering the tax burden on all Rhode Islanders.
Like Nancy Pelosi, my opponent would favor additional stimulus spending, driving us further into debt and putting an unsustainable burden on our children and grandchildren.
I believe that we need to stop the outrageous spending that has cost us more than $787 billion. No more bailouts, no more stimulus packages that don’t work.
Like Nancy Pelosi, my opponent believes that illegal aliens should have a “pathway to citizenship.”
I believe in legal immigration – and that the only path to legal immigration begins at the immigration office in one’s home country. We are a nation of immigrants but we are also a nation of laws and it is the role of the federal government to secure our borders and adopt a fair immigration policy that allows us to protect our sovereignty and control our borders.
Like Nancy Pelosi, my opponent supports the health care bill that CBO estimates will cost more than $1 trillion – more than $115 billion more than was estimated when the bill was rammed through Congress with bipartisan opposition.
I believe that we need to repeal and replace the most onerous parts of the health care bill, particularly the aspects that have nothing to do with improving health care. Clearly our health care system is broken but instead of taking steps to control costs, the health care bill is home to hidden taxes and penalties for small businesses.
The citizens of this district deserve their own vote in Congress and I am the only candidate in this race that will go to Washington with no sworn allegiances and an agenda that is focused only on improving the lives of the people I will represent. As I talk to voters across the district, they tell me that Washington isn’t working for them.
Today I ask, do you want someone different, or just another pea for Nancy Pelosi’s pod?
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Congressman Peter King is coming to Rhode Island this Thursday in support of my campaign for Congress. We’ve got two great events planned including a boardroom discussion on the impact of the 2010 elections on financial regulation as well as a luncheon at Ten Prime Steak and Sushi. I hope you can join us!
Congressman King is the Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Committee and serves on the Financial Services Committee as well as the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
