File photo
WPRO News and the Associated Press
NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (AP) – Republican Dawson Hodgson isn’t just talking about public safety in his uphill bid to unseat Attorney General Peter Kilmartin: He says the way to improve the economy is by restoring public trust in state government.
It’s a central theme of Hodgson’s campaign against an opponent with better name recognition and a political climate where down-ballot races have struggled to win voters’ attention.
Hodgson has criticized the investigation into 38 Studios and pledged to create a public integrity unit in the attorney general’s office. He says the state is being held back by “political corruption and incompetence.”
Kilmartin, a former Pawtucket police officer, says he’s been proactive prosecuting fraud and corruption and has other accomplishments including creation of a child abuse unit. He maintains Hodgson is mischaracterizing and minimizing his record.
