Candidates for Convention Delegates Certified

The slate for the April 24 Presidential Primary is set

By Will Collette

On April 24, Rhode Island will hold its Presidential Preference Primary. For Democrats, the only person on the ballot for President is President Barack Obama.

For Republicans, it’s the current four major candidates: Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul. If things continue as they have been, all four may make it through to April 24. Or not.

Each of the four Republicans, and the President, also will have people who want to be delegates for them to their National Party Conventions. Voters in the Primary will also be expected to pick who they choose to be delegates.

Persons who wanted to be delegates had to file declaration papers by February 23^rd. Then, they had until February 28 to turn in 150 or more valid signatures on their nomination papers.

Political pest or wannabe Obama delegate?

Most of those who declared their candidacy turned in enough signatures to make it through to the April 24 ballot. See ALL the results here.

Some local candidates of interest include:

Rep. Teresa Tanzi qualified to run to be a delegate for President Obama.

And showing what a really big tent the Democratic Party is, John “Matson the Carpenter” Matson also qualified to be on the ballot as an Obama delegate. Matson is running against Rep. Jim Langevin in this year’s House primary. In past years, Matson the Carpenter has been a perennial candidate, littering the roadways with his signs and running under almost every Party banner except the Whigs.

Nick Gorham (Whalerock developer Larry LeBlanc’s lawyer) qualified to run to be a Rick Santorum delegate.

Candidates to be delegates for Mitt Romney are former Gov. Don Carcieri and his wife Sue, who took time out from Florida to file their papers; Hopkinton arch-conservative Scott Bill Hirst; and Tea Party darling Rep. Doreen Costa.

The Uber-right-wing former challenger to Teresa Tanzi, Tim Burchett, qualified to be on the ballot to run for delegate for Ron Paul.

Martha Stamp LOVES her silly hats (they get her picture
in the national news every year)

Rounding out the local delegate candidates of interest who qualified are Martha Stamp of South Kingstown and Michael Picillo of Exeter, who will be on the ballot as delegates for Newt Gingrich.

Martha Stamp gets her picture in the national news every year when she goes to the national Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) convention wearing ridiculous hats. She has declared as a candidate against Rep. Donna Walsh on a couple of occasions. No word on her intentions this year, yet.

Michael Picillo, whose family ran the infamous Picillo Pig Farm Superfund toxic waste site, ran against and lost to Rep. Larry Valencia for House District 39.