The race for a state office that covers mostly Bristol will come down to one of two Warren residents seeking the Rhode Island House of Representatives' District 68 seat.
Incumbent June Speakman, a first-term Democrat who won the office in a special election following the departure of disgraced former would-be representative Laufton Ascencao in late 2018, is taking on Libertarian Billy Hunt, who is now running his fourth campaign for the seat.
While the district lies about 70 percent in Bristol, with the remainder in Warren, both candidates said they have both towns in mind and hope to work on regional issues, such as a restructuring of state aid to schools, and will work for their constituents in both towns should they win in November.

"I was gratified that they (Bristol's Democratic leadership) are willing to vote for someone in Warren," Ms. Speakman, a professor of political science at Roger Williams University, said Monday evening. "I pay close attention to both communities."

"Both communities need" an independent voice, added Mr. Hunt, an insurance adjuster who, with wife Jessica, will welcome a baby boy, their first child, into the world in about two weeks. Though his family status was high atop his list of considerations when he was considering another run, "when we found out we were pregnant, more than any thing else it's the whole adage that we try to make a difference for our children and the next generation," he said. "As much of a sacrifice as it would be, I think (political office) is important and I think it's something that's needed."

Past race and campaigning
Mr. Hunt has finished second in all of his three campaigns for the seat, losing out most recently to Ms. Speakman 789 to 573, during the most recent election held in March of last year.

This time around, with the Covid-19 pandemic still in full swing, the two candidates are taking vastly different tracks as they try to appeal to potential voters and get the word out about their campaigns.

Ms. Speakman, who knocked on doors during the last run, said that's not in the plan this year as "I am not interested in giving anyone pause. I just think that if we weren't in the red zone (in Rhode Island) I would feel a little more comfortable talking to people" face to face. Right now, "it's too anxiety-producing."

Instead, she is making phone calls, advertising her message on Social Media, and placing political ads in the local newspapers. It's a big switch, she said.

"I really miss talking to voters," she said. "I really do. But there are other opportunities."

Mr. Hunt is doing things differently. He said the 2019 loss taught him a lot about who votes and who doesn't, and who will be more likely to vote straight Democrat and thus might not pull the lever for him. Research has led him to a more targeted approach where he feels he can make inroads.

"My target has been unaffiliated voters who I feel are most likely to (vote for me), but maybe they just don't know about me and my campaign. I'm not focused on people who based on their history tend to vote Democratic.

Many issues
When they do talk to voters, though, both candidates say the issues are clear, and they overlap in many ways:
Both say the educational aid funding formula in place at the state level, which has seen aid to the Bristol Warren Regional School District drop steadily over the next decade, is a big one. That state aid, and how it is distributed to the two towns within the district, has to change, both said. Financial difficulties caused by a decline in state dollars has led to enmity and, two years ago, a lawsuit between the two towns. But both said the solution lies not with local fights but a change in state policy.

Mr. Hunt said that the only way to successfully advocate for the two towns at the state level is to be an independent critic with a sharp eye. He believes Ms. Speakman has failed in that front during her time in the legislature.

"She is a member of the House Oversight Committee who should really be focused" on fiscal matters, he said.

"Oversight is so desperately needed. Even though she is a junior member, she does have the power of being on that committee."

Ms. Speakman agreed in the importance of oversight, and said she regrets that more wasn't able to be done in her first term. She was sworn in at the end of a session and what would have been her first full session in the House was shortened by the pandemic. She hopes the General Assembly can take a cue from local cities and towns, which have been able to adapt to the changing environment and hold remote meetings. That has not happened on the state level, she said, but "I really look forward to getting back to work. I really hope House leadership finds a way to do this. They're all (cities and towns) figuring out how to work remotely; I hope the General Asssembly can do that too."

The pandemic and the state's response to it is another huge issue for both candidates. Through her work with constituents and following state news from the inside, Ms. Speakman said she has come to believe that two of the biggest related issues facing the state, besides oversight of aid to cities and towns from both state and local sources, is nursing homes and how they are being run, and food insecurity.

Nursing home safety "was not something that was high on my agenda before Covid, but it is now," she said. "I watch people go in and out 24 hours a day; (staff) are keeping (residents) and their families safe. We need to make sure that this is a system that works."

As for food insecurity and the soaring number of residents who have sought help feeding their families, she said she is proud to have seen the good work done by Warren's Hope & Main and other organizations to provide food to those in need.

"We need to make sure these types of programs continue," she said.

Mr. Hunt said his views and platform have not changed significantly since his last time around. If anything, what has happened in Rhode Island over the past seven months bears out his goals, which include lowering the cost of living for residents and taxpayers, being a strong voice for small businesses, making sure the district has an effective, independent and critical eye at the state house, and ensuring that federal and state dollars make it to the people who need it, with full transparency and independent oversight. That has been lacking, he said.

"You can say that the governor's doing a great job but without looking with a critical eye, there's no way of knowing," he said.

Small businesses have been unfairly impacted by the government's response to the pandemic, he said, with a myriad of hoops to jump through to qualify for business relief grants and loans.

"Most businesses in desperate need are only qualifying for $5,000, $6,000, $7,000" in state relief funding, and the process is unduly cumbersome, uncertain and bureaucratic.

"You have to wonder if the juice is worth the squeeze when you have to go through this process (especially) when you think about how easily they (the state's Department of Labor and Training) got out funding" to residents who lost their jobs or had their hours cut during the early days of the pandemic. Given the closed nature of the General Assembly, he said, little is likely to change without different voices not beholden to leadership:

"You're either going to elect someone in the majority party who is going to have to curtail their voice to get things accomplished, or you could have someone on the outside ... who at least has the ability to fight for constituents."
On that tack, Ms. Speakman seems to disagree on some points.

"I agree with him on accountability; we don't have dollars to waste. And I know he likes to categorize me as an insider (but) I don't know what that means even."

Early in her term, "I was just learning how things work" and set about working on issues including voting bills, solar siting legislation, fiscal matters including the school aid issue, and others. While she feels stymied by the pandemic and the resultant shutdown of the session," I would hope that leadership would find a way to let us have conversations about policy even if we can't be on the floor voting."

In the meantime, she was happy to make small changes for people as a result of her new, stronger voice. One of the most gratifying parts of the job has been to make small differences for individual voters, she said.

"There are really two sides of the job. The big side is you're making changes in policy, and the little side is interacting with the voters. One of the nice things about being an incumbent is you can actually call the state agencies and they pick up the phone," she said. "It's in their interests to keep the delegation happy (and) I was able to iron out a lot of individual problems."

She said she will continue to advocate for Warren and Bristol, the environment, fiscal accountability and other issues if re-elected.

In class
Though they differ on the insider vs. outsider philosophy, both candidates say they respect the other and know each other out of the campaign realm. They live in the same neighborhood and often see each other as Mr. Hunt walks his dog Penny by her house during evenings. And on Thursday, the two will meet again when Mr. Hunt speaks to Ms. Speakman's class on campaigns and elections, something he also did back in 2018.

Part of the class involves students performing 10 hours of school work with a candidate for public office. And since it would not be appropriate to have her students work with her, "I invited him" to come talk and respect what he's had to say, she said.