Former GOPer Lincoln Chafee Plots Comeback as Independent

Jan. 5, 2010— -- Four years after losing a bid for re-election in "The Thumpin" of 2006, former Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island will be back on the ballot as a candidate for governor this November.

Do not, however, look for an 'R' or a 'D' after his name: Chafee is running as an independent.

"I believe that running as an independent will free me from the constraints that party politics impose on candidates," Chafee said Monday while announcing his gubernatorial run in Warwick, R.I., the town where he served as mayor before being appointed to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by his late father in 1999. The next year, Chafee was elected to a six-year Senate term in his own right.

"What we need in Rhode Island is someone not associated with either party," said Chafee in a telephone interview with ABC News which was conducted on New Year's Eve.

Although independent candidates are typically unsuccessful, Chafee sees his unaligned status as a major selling point. For starters, fully half of the state's registered voters are unaffiliated with either party. Furthermore, Chafee thinks state government has been hurt by the lack of cooperation between Republicans and Democrats. Finally, as one of the best-known brands in Rhode Island politics, he is not worried about qualifying for the ballot.

The Rhode Island governor's office will be vacant in 2010. Gov. Don Carcieri, the Republican incumbent, is barred by term limits from running again. Democrats running to succeed Carcieri include Attorney General Patrick Lynch and General Treasurer Frank Caprio. Republicans are still looking for a candidate after businessman Rory Smith dropped out of the race last month.

If Chafee makes it to Providence, R.I., he says his top priorities will be tackling a state unemployment rate which is one of the highest in the country and closing a looming budget deficit of $500 million.