Langevin getting a challenger

Brown University political science Prof. Jennifer L. Lawless has moved to Cranston, clearing the way for her planned challenge to U.S. Rep. James R. Langevin in a Democratic primary.

Lawless, 30, had been living on Providence's East Side, in the state's 1st Congressional District, represented by U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy . But last month, she moved to Selkirk Road in the Edgewood section of Cranston, which is in the 2nd District, currently represented by Langevin.

Her campaign staff was busy last week moving into an office on West Shore Road in the Conimicut section of Warwick. And on Wednesday, Lawless plans to kick off her campaign with a 3 p.m. event at the Warwick campus of the Community College of Rhode Island.

Lawless said on Friday afternoon that she was still planning the details.

"It's early. The primary election isn't for 16 months but I think that it's really important to let Rhode Islanders know that I'm running for office and let them know the issues that I think are important," Lawless said. "In Rhode Island, we can and must do better on issues like education, health care, jobs and choice."

This article, written by Liz Anderson, Katherine Gregg, and Scott Mayerowitz, appeared on June 13, 2005, in the Providence Journal.