Projo Politics Blog

Speaking of late nights, Rhode Island Republicans met late into the night Thursday and chose Rep. Carol Mumford, R-Scituate, as the party’s national committeewoman. Mumford succeeds GOP grand dame Eileen Slocum, of Newport. Slocum, 95, has been a party fixture for decades both in Rhode Island and at the national level. She has had health problems of late and recently resigned her post.

Mumford’s election makes her an automatic delegate to the Republican National Convention, which meets in September in St. Paul, Minn.

The delegates, meeting at Lincoln’s Kirkbrae Country Club, also ousted incumbent national committeeman Robert Manning, of Charlestown, an ally of former Cranston Mayor Stephen P. Laffey. Rep. Joseph Trillo, R-Warwick, defeated Manning to become the new GOP national committeeman. Trillo won the position in a multi-ballot race after Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian dropped out of the contest and endorsed Trillo.

Balloting ran past midnight.

--By Scott MacKay
Journal staff writer

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