Sen. Lincoln Chaffee To Join Democratic Race For President

Lincoln Chaffee

Former Rhode Island Governor and Republican U.S. Senator Lincoln Chaffee will announce his intention to run for the 2016 Democratic nomination for president today.

From the Washington Post:

Chafee's decision to run makes him the fourth Democratic hopeful to officially enter the race. But he's already been the first to directly and consistently attack front-runner Hillary Clinton -- particularly over the Iraq War vote that helped sink her first presidential bid.

"I don't think anybody should be president of the United States that made that mistake" of voting for the Iraq War, Chafee told The Post in April. "It's a huge mistake, and we live with broad, broad ramifications today — of instability not only in the Middle East but far beyond and the loss of American credibility. There were no weapons of mass destruction."

Chafee, the son of Rhode Island Sen. John Chafee (R), was appointed to the U.S. Senate after his father died in 1999, leaving the seat vacant. As a liberal Republican, Chafee was reelected to a full term in 2000, before losing in 2006. He officially left the Republican Party the following year. He was elected governor as an independent in 2010 and joined the Democratic Party in 2013. His announcement Wednesday comes less than two years after he decided not to seek a second term as governor amid low approval ratings and the prospect of a bruising primary.

Central to Chafee's presidential campaign: his 2002 Senate vote against authorizing the use of military force in Iraq in 2002, when he was the only Republican senator to oppose the measure.

Chaffee joins already announced former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley in the race.

I can tell you now, the Dems are not going to nominate a former Republican to be their nominee.

Especially one who only won a single term in the Senate, and then knew he couldn't win a second term as governor.

Not. Gonna. Happen.