US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse kicked off his reelection bid today, a decision that won’t surprise anyone who pays even a little attention to Rhode Island politics.
The state’s junior senator is poised to be a heavy favorite against whoever emerges from a Republican field that currently includes state Representative Patricia Morgan and Ray McKay. Whitehouse had more than $3.6 million in his campaign account as of March 31.
But he acknowledged Wednesday that his heavy criticism of the US Supreme Court and the fossil fuel industry has made him “some very powerful enemies,” specifically Leonard Leo, a co-chairman of the Federalist Society.
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Whitehouse pointed to a $1.6 billion donation from electronics manufacturing mogul Barre Seid to a political advocacy group run by Leo as evidence that conservatives could fund a serious campaign in Rhode Island if a strong Republican candidate emerged.
“He could take a very small piece of that and drop a bomb on Rhode Island,” Whitehouse said.
Whitehouse said he wants his campaign to be well prepared for anything that could unfold this year, but he acknowledged that he is at least beginning to think about the options he’ll have if Democrats retain control of the Senate in November.
He currently chairs the Senate Budget Committee, but with US Senators Thomas Carper of Delaware and Ben Cardin of Maryland set to retire, Whitehouse would have the opportunity to lead the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
The last Rhode Islander to chair Environment and Public Works was senator John Chafee. Whitehouse won election to the Senate in 2006 against Lincoln Chafee, John’s son.
At the same time, leading the Budget Committee through the next reconciliation bill would give Whitehouse a lot of power over federal spending.
“If we can hold the Senate, win the House, which looks realistic, and get President Biden reelected, there are really, really, really big things we can do,” Whitehouse said.
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This story first appeared in Rhode Map, our free newsletter about Rhode Island that also contains information about local events, links to interesting stories, and more. If you’d like to receive it via e-mail Monday through Friday, you can sign up here.
Dan McGowan can be reached at dan.mcgowan@globe.com. Follow him @danmcgowan.