Dennis W. Michaud, a consultant and part-time Brown University professor who was challenging Governor Carcieri in the Republican primary, has officially withdrawn from the race less than two months after declaring his candidacy.
Michaud failed to gather the necessary signatures to be on the Sept. 12 ballot, according to Peter Kerwin, spokesman for the Secretary of State’s Office.
"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 this afternoon.
Carcieri and Lt. Gov. Charles J. Fogarty, a Democrat, are the only two candidates to qualify, according to the Secretary of State’s Office. They will face off in the Nov. 7 general election.
Candidates have until 4 p.m. today to challenge certifications with the Secretary of State’s Office, Kerwin said. Challenges would go to the state Board of Elections for review.
Candidates for governor are required to gather 1,000 signatures.
Michaud’s campaign manager, Scott MacPherson, said about 1,500 signatures were collected.
While the Secretary of State’s office says 933 signatures were valid, MacPherson said 960 were deemed valid.
Each local board of canvassers certifies to the secretary of state the signatures collected in their city or town.
Signatures are deemed invalid if the person is not a registered voter, is registered but in a town different than the one the form is submitted to, or if the signature is illegible.
Carcieri collected 2,731 valid signatures, and Fogarty had 4,707, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.
Michaud’s wife, Nancy Springett Michaud, who declared for the House District 2 seat, also failed to get the necessary number of signatures. She needed 50 but only had 41, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.
ARTICLE TOOLS: 
