Dennis Michaud M.A. '96 Ph.D. '02, an adjunct professor of economics, announced last week he has ended his bid to challenge incumbent Gov. Donald Carcieri '65 in the Sept. 12 Republican primary after failing to collect enough signatures to appear on the ballot.
The evaluation of the signatures conducted by the Rhode Island Office of the Secretary of State found Michaud fell 67 short of the 1,000 required. Megan Boben GS, Michaud's press secretary, told The Herald Michaud submitted more than enough to appear on the ballot, but some signatures could not be verified during the evaluation process.
In an interview with The Herald earlier this month, Michaud said he had 11 people out canvassing throughout the state for signatures.
According to the Web site for the secretary of state's office, Michaud had until 4 p.m. on July 21 to challenge the findings, though he ultimately decided not to pursue this option.
"I have made a decision not to ask the Rhode Island Secretary of State's office for a review or recount of the signatures contained in these nomination papers and will thus end my candidacy for governor of Rhode Island," Michaud said in a statement released July 21 to the Providence Journal.
Boben said Michaud did not challenge the evaluation in part so as not to "cause any further splits in the party." Also, Boben added the decision shows Michaud's appreciation of Carcieri's willingness to alter his policies in response to Michaud's criticism over the past two months, particularly the governor's "willingness to compromise on the budget."
Michaud will teach EC 178: "Corporate Strategy" this fall.
