Within the next two weeks, state Republicans and Democrats will begin doling out their congressional endorsements with a major unanswered question still burning as Political Scene went to press: Will the GOP be able to muster anyone to run against Rep. Patrick Kennedy and Sen. Jack Reed?

Or will two members of Rhode Island’s all-Democrat congressional delegation slide to reelection unchallenged by a Republican candidate?

Late last week, Federal Hill clothing store owner Joseph Zuccolo, 51, of North Providence, confirmed that he is once again thinking about mounting a Republican challenge to Kennedy, having taken out candidacy papers two years ago and then had second thoughts.

On March 12, the owner of Zuccolo’s Fine Men’s Clothing filed notice with the Federal Election Commission of the formation of his Joe Zuccolo For Congress Committee.

In 2006, Zuccolo said, he backed away because “organizationally and financially it wasn’t right for us.” Asked what has changed since then to make him a more viable candidate, he said: “Now we feel we want to and God willing, we will.”

While he did not elaborate, Zuccolo said he hasn’t raised any money yet for a race against Kennedy, who had $617,182 in his campaign account at the March 31 end of the last reporting period. But Zuccolo said he believes that he and his unpaid campaign manager, Dana Peloso, 25 — whom he identified as a candidate for state representative in Warren — have the time to pull together the necessary money and campaign organization to give the 1st Representative District race a good shot.

(If Peloso’s name sounds familiar, he was one of the organizers of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s Rhode Island campaign, a former chairman of Roger Williams University’s College Republicans, and one of two conservative talk show hosts bounced from Roger Williams’ student-run radio station in April 2007 for repeating more than 30 times the phrase that led to national shock jock Don Imus’ firing: “nappy-headed hos.” In his own defense at the time, Peloso said they used the words appropriately in the context of a discussion about Imus.)

Zuccolo’s campaign platform? He said a congressman needs to be “more proactive” on the big issues of the day, such as education and energy. His only campaign promise at this point is to “meet with the people of Rhode Island … address their needs … and keep them informed.”

In an interview on Friday, state GOP Chairman Giovanni Cicione said two other possible Kennedy challengers were still weighing the possibility.

Before the day was over, however, one had pulled his name out of the speculation field: Republican Rep. John Loughlin, of Tiverton.

While tempted, Loughlin said, a run for Congress would not be “economically feasible” at this point, “and besides, I really like my job as a member of the loyal opposition in the Rhode Island House of Representatives.” (Cicione would not identify the third potential candidate on his scouting roster.)

Cicione was less optimistic about the chances of lining up a Republican to challenge Reed, saying: “I am not as convinced. That’s a 50-50.”

He was more optimistic about GOP chances of picking up seats in the General Assembly during what he believes may be a watershed year, with more Democratic incumbents voluntarily relinquishing their seats than Rhode Island has seen in many years.

At this point, Cicione said, the GOP believes it has Republicans lined to run for 50 of the 75 House seats, and 18 of the 38 Senate seats including the small bloc of GOP incumbents in each chamber.

According to Cicione, even state Democratic Chairman Bill Lynch “is not denying a lot of the Democrats are talking about not returning, more than in most years” because in this tough budget climate “they can’t bring home pork,” they are feeling pressure to pay for their health insurance and forgo legislative grants, and they fear the unions will come up with challengers to force them into primaries while they are being “brutalized by their own constituents for not delivering.”

Lynch denies saying anything along these lines and says that he aware of only one Democratic lawmaker who does not plan to seek reelection. Obviously, he says, “This is going to be a difficult year in the legislature, which I don’t think anybody disagrees with,” and there is “always talk this time of year that … maybe some people may not run.”

But as far as a mass exodus, akin to what Rhode Island saw in 1992 after the credit union crisis put state lawmakers on the hot seat, Lynch said, “I don’t have any reason to think that is the case.”

State Democrats are meeting on June 8 at House Speaker William J. Murphy’s favorite gathering spot, the West Valley Inn, to endorse Reed, Kennedy and Congressman James R. Langevin for reelection, and choose a final run of superdelegates to the national party convention.

The Republican State Central Committee is meeting at the Kirkbrae Country Club, in Lincoln, on June 12. Cicione hopes by then to have an announced GOP congressional slate.

So far, the only announced challenger is Mark Zaccaria, running for Rhode Island’s 2nd District seat against Langevin.

With a campaign Web page that shows him enthusiastically shaking hands with Republican Governor Carcieri, Zaccaria, a former member of the North Kingstown Town Council who runs a marketing company, says “we need to eliminate elective abortion from the American experience.” His view on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars: “We should win them and then leave.”

Perennial candidate Chris Young — who has in the past run for several offices simultaneously — says he will run again for the U.S. Senate as a Democrat.

Candidates for local, state and federal offices must file declarations of candidacy June 23, 24 or 25. Candidates for federal offices must file their declarations with the secretary of state at 148 West River St., Providence. Candidates for all other offices as well as party committees must file with their local boards of canvassers.

For the birds

In another sign that state government is in trouble, birds of prey have begun circling Smith Hill.

Literally.

A state Department of Health employee reported last week that a hawk had killed a seagull in the north parking lot. The hawk was apparently picking at the gull’s remains on the roof of a silver Honda Thursday morning.

“If this is your car, you may wish to check on its condition since remnants of the kill have been left on the roof. The hawk has now moved onto the roof of a red station wagon,” employee Brenda Sullivan advised in an e-mail to various state employees.

Sullivan’s message prompted a pun-laden response from Health Director David R. Gifford, who had determined the carcass-stained car belonged to a state employee.

“I hate to tar and FEATHER [her] any further, but I did check with DOA and she can not submit her car wash BILL due to the budget crises at hand,” Gifford wrote Thursday afternoon. “Though I am sure that this event will SOAR to the top of employee complaints about problems with our parking lots, I am not sure we can solve this problem.”

Political Scene obtained the e-mail exchange from Rep. Raymond E. Gallison Jr., D-Bristol, who did not appear to be amused.

“While Rome burns, aka the State is facing a huge deficit, this is what is going on at DOH,” Gallison declared in an e-mail to various media entities Friday.

Radio ad a dramatic plea for ‘compassion’ centers

“Have you ever had a gun held to your head to buy your medicine? I have. Seven times.”

A stark new radio advertisement chronicling the plight of one medical marijuana patient caught the attention of anyone who heard it last week.

The 30-second spot featuring patient George DesRoches, of Warwick, began playing on local radio stations along with a plea to listeners to call their representative in favor of the bill that would create compassion centers –– safe dispensaries where patients in the state’s medical marijuana program can buy the drug.

Jesse Stout, executive director of the Rhode Island Patient Advocacy Coalition, which sponsored the ad, said the airwaves seemed to be the right medium for it. “Putting someone’s own voice on the radio we thought would make it most immediate for listeners,” Stout said.

The compassion center bill passed the Senate last month. While it is not expected to move out of a House committee, Stout said he hopes the advertisement lends a sense of urgency and persuades House lawmakers to move forward.

Newly minted senator gets committee seats

A month into his move across the rotunda, Rep. — whoops, we mean Sen. — Roger A. Picard has landed himself several committee appointments. On Friday he was named to the Senate Labor and Corporations committees.

The new senator will no doubt find the appointments familiar since he served on the counterpart committees in the House during his 16 years as a representative.

Picard said that experience will allow him to “div[e] right in” on the Senate side at a busy time of year.

He won a special election in April following the death of longtime Sen. Roger Badeau.

Raptakis globetrotting

Sen. Leonidas Raptakis has logged his share of frequent-flier miles this spring.

Raptakis traveled to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, in the nation’s capital, 10 days ago as the featured speaker in the National Maritime Day Celebration –– honoring the U.S. Merchant Marine personnel “who gave their lives in service to America and freedom” over the last 75 years.

This week the Coventry senator heads to Athens, Greece, on an expedition to celebrate the “liberty ships,” the World-War II-era cargo ships that made up the majority of Navy’s transport fleet and are now headed toward extinction.

Following the war, 100 of the vessels were sent to Greece, where they were used to the rebuild parts of that country. Citing that contribution, Raptakis several years ago launched a campaign to create an on-ship museum in Athens honoring Hellenic seafarers and the ships’ storied history.

speoples@projo.com