Charlestown’s Rep. Tina Spears and Sen. Victoria Gu among them
By Will Collette
This new group was founded by Trump supporter David Levesque,
a Warwick coffee shop owner who says he was motivated by the state’s passage of
a ban on assault weapons. In addition to gun rights, the League
is also vehemently opposed to taxes on the rich such as the state’s new
Taylor Swift law that levees a state surcharge on high-priced absentee-owned
property.
The
League has already announced a slate of candidates and plans to recruit
more who will push Levesque’s MAGA agenda. Most of his targets are women, all
are Democrats. Most of the targets voted to ban military-style assault rifles.
Who is on the LORIB target list in South County?
- Rep. Tina Spears (Charlestown, Westerly, Block Island, So. Kingstown)
- Sen. Victoria Gu (Westerly, Charlestown)
- Sen. Alana DiMario
- Sen. Bridgette ValVerde
- Rep. Carol Hagen McEntee
- Rep. Kathy Fogarty
Levesque is looking for candidates to challenge:
- Rep. Teresa Tanzi
- Rep. Julie Casimiro
- And to challenge for the open seat being vacated in North Kingstown by Rep. Bob Craven
In all but one instance, the League is backing DINO
candidates in the hope of unseating incumbents in the Democratic primary. The
exception is Sen. Victoria Gu – LORIB’s only Republican pick is MAGAnut Westin
Place who was trounced by Victoria twice (2022 and 2024).
Levesque also has a major South County footprint as a Narragansett
resident and principal in the following businesses:
I am hoping Levesque’s focus on the primaries will backfire.
By definition, only registered Democrats can vote in those primaries and
primary voters tend to pay more attention than voters in the General election.
Democratic Town Committees will need to make sure voters understand what’s at
stake and may need to prepare to counter business-sponsored mailer blitzes.
The Providence Journal says the League of Rhode Island Businesses “pledged full financial support” to its endorsed candidates. Whether Levesque can actually raise enough money to back up that pledge remains to be seen. It’s not showing up in any serious way in their most recent Campaign Finance reports.
The League of RI Businesses Charlestown reported a cash
balance of $15. Its registered office is in Cranston.
Last October, attorney Leah Boisclair was among the first of
the LORIB candidates to declare, bagging a Westerly
Sun “top story.” The article was pretty much a news release, light on detail
and high on puff. However, looking a little deeper into Boisclair’s record,
there wasn’t much there besides her defense of criminal defendants.
She’s a defense attorney who, according to her website, defends clients
charged with violent crime, domestic abuse, crimes against property and sex
crimes.
She is a self-described "Sex Crimes Defense Attorney." I'm not making this up.
Of course, under the Constitution, everyone is judged to be
innocent until proven guilty and is entitled to a defense. Here is a list
copied directly
from her website listing the types of sex crimes she defends:
Sexual Assault
- First-Degree
Sexual Assault (Rape)
- Second-Degree
Sexual Assault (Sexual Contact)
- Third-Degree
Sexual Assault (Statutory Rape)
Child Molestation
- First-Degree
Child Molestation (Rape)
- Second-Degree
Child Molestation (Sexual Contact)
- Third-Degree
Child Molestation (Statutory Rape)
Sex Crimes Charges
- Indecent
Exposure
- Video
Voyeurism
- Unauthorized
Dissemination of Indecent Material
Child Exploitation or Harm
- Possession
of Child Pornography
- Distribution
of Child Pornography
- Indecent
Solicitation of a Minor
- Exploitation
for Commercial Purposes
- Electronic
Dissemination of Indecent Material to Minors
- Cruelty
to or Neglect of a Child
- Child
Endangerment
- Patronizing
a Minor for Commercial Sexual Activity
Prostitution-Related Offenses
- Procurement
of Sexual Conduct for a Fee
- Loitering
for Prostitution
- Solicitation
of Prostitution
- Promoting
or Permitting Prostitution
- Trafficking
an Individual
- Sexual
Servitude
- Forced
Labor
I’m not making any of this up – this is from HER website.
Again, while everyone is entitled to a defense and
presumption of innocence, I’m sure glad I’m not the one doing the defending.
Further, I’m not very comfortable with this promotional piece, especially the stilettos and underwear, shown in this screenshot from
her website:
Given her portfolio, her practice would probably be very
successful in Washington, DC with its abundance of pedos and sexual predators.
Maybe her MAGA sponsor felt that this portfolio was a plus for her. This is a
question that I hope will be explored during the campaign.
I didn’t see much in her history about any sort of public
service or civic engagement. She waitressed at the Homestead on Route 2 and
staffed a booth for the Grange at the Washington County Fair, but that was
about it. She’s running as a Democrat, but I’ve never seen her at any local Democratic
function.
Maybe we’ll learn more about her as the campaign year
progresses.
I’ll also be curious to see whether the Charlestown Citizens Alliance (CCA) weighs in. The CCA backed Libertarian Republican Blake “Flip” Filippi in his defeat of long-time District 36 state Rep. Donna Walsh. Will they support the LORIB PAC effort to oust Rep. Spears and Senator Gu?
But for now, Charlestown has an outstanding state representative in Tina Spears who is running for reelection to a 3rd term. Compare her record of community service and legislative effectiveness to Boisclair’s and I believe the choice is clear.