Brown professor announces candidacy for U.S. Congress

KINGSTON, RI - Jennifer Lawless, a political science professor at Brown University, announced her intention this month to run as a Democrat in the U.S. congressional race for Rhode Island's Second District seat in 2006.

"Jennifer Lawless believes that Rhode Island needs a fresh face and new ideas in its political leadership," Adam Deitch, Lawless' campaign manager, said.

According to her, Lawless has published articles in The American Journal of Political Science, Political Research Quarterly and Legislative Studies Quarterly. She has also offered political analysis for ABC 6, CBS 12, Rhode Island PBS, Fox News Live and WHJJ 920 Radio.

Deitch said issues such as education, health care, the environment and women's reproductive rights will be the main focus of the campaign.

"Public higher education is going to be a big priority for the campaign," he said. "Lawless is going to be a strong advocate in this issue. We should not be settling for the status quo; URI students should be receiving the best possible education they can get. The University of Rhode Island is a great institution and Jennifer Lawless is looking forward to trying as hard as she can to make it even greater. She wants to ensure that URI has the resources it needs to continue to improve."

If elected, Lawless would be the first woman officeholder representing Rhode Island in the U.S. Congress in 15 years.

"The reality is, we are ranked 35th out of the 50 states in terms of women in the state legislature," Deitch said. "It's time for women to be playing a big role."

Deitch said Lawless differs from incumbent James Langevin on many issues, including abortion. Lawless supports abortion rights and Langevin is anti-abortion. "These differences will prove to ultimately be the factor in the campaign," Deitch said.

Professor Maureen Moakley, chairwoman of the political science department, said she thought it was great that Lawless was running for office on a number of levels.

"Hopefully this will get more women interested in politics in a state that is dominated by male officeholders," Moakley said.

Moakley said women in government are important because generally speaking, they bring a different dimension to lawmaking and governing. "In terms of the process, they tend to be consensus-building," she said. "In terms of what they are interested in, they tend to be more concerned with issues of human services and the equality of life."

She said it is a "particularly spirited endeavor" considering that Ivy League schools are more focused on publishing and research accomplishments at the associate professor level.

Deitch said, "Lawless believes she can do a better job of representing the Second District."

He added that Lawless is "excited and enthusiastic" about the campaign and wants to meet as many URI students and constituents over the course of the campaign.

Students will soon be able to visit http://www.lawlessforcongress.com/ in the future for more information on Lawless and her campaign.

This article, written by Shaun Boutwell, appeared on April 28, 2005, in the University of Rhode Island newspaper, The Good Five Cent Cigar.