Rhode Island Treasurer Seth Magaziner sailed to victory in the Ocean State’s Democratic primary for the 2nd Congressional District on Tuesday, setting the stage for a highly anticipated showdown with Republican Allan Fung in the fall.
Fung has been widely seen as one of the fiercest Republican competitors to the Democratic district in decades, threatening to shatter the party’s nearly three-decade lock on the state’s two congressional seats. Recognizing the threat, Magaziner had already begun shifting gears to sharpen his line of attack against Fung before clearing his primary.
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Both Magaziner and Fung were front-runners in their respective primaries to capture the seat currently held by outgoing Rep. Jim Langevin (D). Magaziner overcame a crowded field of Democrats on Tuesday night, enjoying strong name recognition relative to the field and the backing of Langevin, who held the seat for roughly 22 years.
Magaziner was first elected as Rhode Island general treasurer in 2014 and succeeded former Gov. Gina Raimondo (D) in the treasurer post. He launched his bid shortly after Langevin announced his retirement in an op-ed back in January. Polling consistently pegged Magaziner as the top contender.
Throughout his primary battle, Magaziner weathered heat from his contenders, some of whom sought to caricature him as a carpetbagger. He lived in Providence, which is located in the 1st Congressional District, and rented a house near Edgewood in the city of Cranston to run in the 2nd District, which covers southern and western Rhode Island.
Fung served as mayor of Cranston, the second-largest city in the state, from 2009-2021. He also vied unsuccessfully for Rhode Island governor in 2014 and 2018, running tight races with Raimondo in a heavily blue state. Fung has staked out centrist positions on hot-button issues such as abortion. He faced a primary battle with former state Rep. Bob Lancia and consistently held a commanding lead over Lancia throughout the primary.
Ironically, Fung’s political career got its start with a snub from Democrats. Agitated with the fiscal state of affairs in Cranston in the early 2000s, he sought a seat on the Cranston City Council but was cast aside by the Democrats, who told him to wait his turn. He swapped parties instead and quickly worked his way up the political ranks.
Now, he represents the GOP’s best shot of painting some red in the deep-blue Ocean State. The last Republican to hold the 2nd District was former Rep. Claudine Schneider, from 1981-1991. The last Republican in the state sent to Washington was Lincoln Chafee, who was ousted by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D) in the 2006 blue wave and subsequently became a Democrat.
Some polling has shown Fung edging out Magaziner in a hypothetical general election matchup. But that polling came at a time when Republicans were riding high on a red wave of momentum in polling across the country.
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Before the primary cemented their collision course, the pair began trading barbs. Magaziner has sought to tie Fung to former President Donald Trump, highlighting a photo of him wearing a winter beanie at Trump’s inauguration in 2017, among other lines of attack. Trump is a deeply unpopular figure in Rhode Island.
If Fung ekes out a victory in November, it could echo the political upset his wife, Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung, achieved in 2020 when she bested Democratic Speaker Nick Mattiello in a state House race, marking the first time a sitting Rhode Island speaker of the General Assembly was defeated in over 114 years.
