蜜桃影视

EDlection2018: This is one of several dozen races聽we’ve analyzed for the 2018 midterms聽that could go on to influence state or federal education policy. Get the latest headlines delivered straight to your inbox; sign up for聽蜜桃影视 Newsletter.

In a race called by the New York Times a scant half hour after the polls closed, Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo cruised comfortably to re-election with a 14-point lead. With 93 percent of precincts tallied, the Democrat had secured 52 percent of votes, compared to GOP challenger Allan Fung鈥檚 38 percent.

鈥� Gina Raimondo (@GinaRaimondo)

The state鈥檚 first female governor, Raimondo took executive action after the massacre in Parkland, Florida, to ban guns in schools carried by anyone other than police, and has urged education leaders to tap construction funds to bolster school safety. She has also pushed for a statewide ban on assault weapons.

The mayor of Cranston, Rhode Island, Fung also campaigned on a school safety platform, though he favored using state funds to put more security officers in schools and proposed re-allocating funds from the 鈥渙ut of control鈥� internal budget of the state General Assembly to pay for it.

(Check out what鈥檚 going on in governor鈥檚 races across the country on 蜜桃影视鈥檚 liveblog.)

In October, Raimondo received the endorsement of the National Education Association Rhode Island鈥檚 political action wing in what the union鈥檚 president acknowledged was a 鈥渄ifficult recommendation for some of our members.鈥� In her former role as state treasurer, Raimondo pushed a public-employee pension reform that lowered benefits for future retirees, halted cost-of-living increases for current retirees and raised the retirement age.

It looks like will be re-elected with a *majority* of the vote despite running in a 6-way field. She鈥檚 currently at 51%.

Suffice to say, this is an impressive outcome for a governor who won with just under 41% four years ago, and who was long seen as vulnerable.

鈥� Ted Nesi (@TedNesi)

The governor鈥檚 support during her first term for preschool, all-day kindergarten, mental health support for students and a school construction bond carried more weight than her pension stance, union leaders ultimately decided.

In her second term, Raimondo has vowed to expand the 鈥淩hode Island Promise,鈥� which currently provides free access to the Community College of Rhode Island to qualified students. The governor has proposed extending benefits to students at Rhode Island College and the University of Rhode Island.

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