Warren DPW Director Jan Malik has dropped out of the race for House of Representatives District 67, leaving only incumbent Rep. Jason Knight of Barrington and Warren Libertarian Daryl Gould in the running.
Mr. Malik, who previously held the state office before losing the seat to Rep. Knight two years ago, said he decided to drop out of the race after looking at the numbers:
“They don’t work,” he said Monday. “A guy from Warren can’t take on a guy from Barrington.”
Mr. Malik, a former Democrat who in June declared his candidacy as an Independent, said he decided to drop out after speaking with Mr. Gould.
“I asked Gould if he wanted to step aside and he said ‘No,’ so I said, ‘That’s it.’”

Democrats file complaint against Gould

The news comes as members of the Warren Democratic Town Committee announced last week that they have filed a complaint against Mr. Gould with the state Board of Elections, saying he has not filed required campaign finance reports since late 2016.
Committee chairman Steve Thompson filed his complaint with Rob Rock, the Director of Elections for the State of Rhode Island, on Friday, Aug. 3. Mr. Rock forwarded that complaint to the state Board of Elections’ Campaign Finance Division.
According to state records, Mr. Gould, who ran unsuccessfully for the District 67 two years ago, has not filed required campaign finance reports since Nov. 1, 2016. Since that date, state records show he has failed to meet eight successive quarterly filing deadlines.
“I believe all candidates should be held to the same standards and the importance of transparency to the public is paramount to the integrity of the election process,” Mr. Thompson wrote in his report.
Acknowledging Mr. Thompson’s complaint on Thursday, Aug. 6, Richard E. Thornton, the director of campaign finance for the state, wrote in an e-mail that he was familiar with Mr. Gould’s failure to file those required reports, and that the state is attempting to make the Warren resident comply.
“We share your concern,” Mr. Thornton wrote.
“Long before you documented your concern, the Board has tried repeatedly to get Mr. Gould to comply with his statutory obligation to file campaign finance reports. As a balloted candidate the Board is placing a greater emphasis on collecting the required reports and late filing penalties from Mr. Gould.”
On Friday, Mr. Gould acknowledged that he has not filed the reports, but said he plans to meet with state officials next week to resolve the matter. A meeting was scheduled for earlier this month, he said, but state officials asked to reschedule.
“This is just clerical, there’s nothing nefarious about it,” he said.
“I have a principled opposition to campaign finance; it's a way for the two party duopoly to keep people like me out of the race. But that's not why (I didn't file). I didn’t know if I was going to run again so I let it ride. But I’m on the same page with the board of elections; I’m not running from it.”
“If the best that Mr. Thompson and Mr. Knight can do is trip me up with campaign finance, it shows more about them than me.”
In 2016, Mr. Gould placed second in voting to Rep. Knight, and ahead of Mr. Malik of Warren.