MATT O’BRIEN, Associated Press
CRANSTON, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island’s Democratic House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello is battling Republican challenger Steven Frias in a race that’s not falling along conventional partisan lines.
Mattiello has been Rhode Island’s most powerful state lawmaker since he assumed the speakership in 2014 with support from the House’s tiny Republican caucus.
The race in the suburban Cranston district is being closely watched around the state.
The state Republican Party has made Mattiello a prime target for defeat Nov. 8. But some prominent Republicans worry that toppling the relatively conservative Mattiello could lead the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives to choose a far more liberal speaker next year.
Some liberal activists agree and have volunteered for the Frias campaign.
