Rallying for Robitaille

While Republican gubernatorial candidate John Robitaille was preparing for a debate at Rhode Island College Wednesday evening, about a dozen of his supporters rallied in the center of his hometown.

The small group gathered outside the Republican Town Committee headquarters on East Main Road. They held up campaign signs and American flags, and waved to the passing cars.

Nearly every five minutes, a vehicle's horn could be heard among the cheers of organizers, who hailed from five communities: Bristol, Portsmouth, Tiverton, Newport and Middletown.

"This is the epitome of grassroots," said Will Sousa Grapentine, who is also running for the state House District 69 seat as a Republican.

According to Grapentine, the rally was put together at a moment's notice.

"What's great is that no one here is really connected to John's campaign," he said. "It was just an idea to hold this. I think that's what the grassroots movement is all about."

Grapentine held up a sign Wednesday reading "Man is not free unless government is limited," quoting President Ronald Reagan.

"I've always been a personal friend of John and Lynda, but I love his back story," said the District 69 candidate. "He's bound to win the primary."

Robitaille will face off against independent businessman Victor Moffitt this Tuesday in the state primary. Since this past weekend, Robitaille's hometown of Portsmouth has been covered from end to end in campaign signs for the local resident.

Among the organizers gathered was Portsmouth resident Helen Glover, talk radio host for 920 WHJJ and finalist on the reality TV series Survivor: Thailand.

Glover said she was there "because I'm a supporter of John Robitaille."

Also among those in attendance were members of the East Bay Patriots, which is part of the Tea Party movement.

Robitaille, who formerly served as Gov. Donald L. Carcieri's senior communications adviser, has lived in Portsmouth with his wife for 16 years. A Providence College graduate, he served as an Army officer for more than five years on active duty.

After leaving military service, Robitaille worked in employee and labor relations for nearly 10 years for two large companies and managed a Rhode Island small business for more than 20 years. 

Moffitt, a business owner and Vietnam War veteran, is a graduate of Coventry High School and Johnson and Wales University, where he received a bachelor's degree in accounting.

He was elected to three terms as a state representative from 2002 to 2008, and served on both the House Finance and Veteran Affairs Committees.