PROVIDENCE — Governor Carcieri has tapped 36-year-old Barrington lawyer Giovanni Cicione to lead the state Republican Party — in one of the most Democratic-leaning states in the nation — for the next two years.

Carcieri’s office had refused to comment on Cicione’s status in recent weeks despite Cicione’s insistence that he had the governor’s blessing. By tradition, the governor’s choice is confirmed by the state convention.

“Gio and I share a vision of a Republican Party that is a vital, active and inclusive organization that reaches out to diverse communities throughout Rhode Island,” Carcieri said in a statement released yesterday, the deadline for interested applicants to contact the state party office. “Like me, Gio is dedicated to uniting the party, to raising money, to growing the ranks of Republicans in our state, and to fielding candidates who offer our citizens a real choice in whom they elect to represent them.”

And although the GOP chair position is unpaid and will no doubt be challenging — the state party lags in fundraising and candidates and was trounced in the November elections — Cicione was not the only candidate to seek the post.

Four Republicans expressed interest by the close of business yesterday and will be interviewed by the party’s nominating committee this morning. The committee will pass along its recommendations to the full convention, which is set to vote March 15.

Aside from Cicione, the chairman candidates include Dave Cote, chairman of the South Kingstown Republican Town Committee; Robert “Gunner” Kenny, a Providence man active with the state party in recent years; and Tammy Turcotte-Raposo, a member of the Warwick Republican Town Committee.

Cicione is unofficially running for the position with a bloc of personal choices for the other leadership positions: Mia Caetano-Johnson for vice chairman, Matthew Wojcik for second vice chair, and Robert Coupe for secretary. Similarly, Cote named his preference for the vice chair position, Joe White, in his letter of intent.

The number of applicants shows there is no shortage of active Republicans in Rhode Island, but a competitive election for chairman isn’t necessarily a good thing, according to Maureen Moakley, chairwoman of the political science department at the University of Rhode Island.

The party is still licking its wounds from its divisive Republican primary battle between former Cranston Mayor Stephen P. Laffey and ousted U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee, she said.

“There seems to be a perennial problem with the Republican Party in so far as there are so few of them and it’s so hard for them to cooperate with one another. The fighting within that party is fierce,” Moakley said. “It would be great if the governor could make a recommendation and the person could be unanimously approved. Hopefully this doesn’t cause a deeper fissure within the party.”

For his part, Cicione said he’s not worried about the battle for party leadership.

“I’m not the kind of guy who uses revenge as a political tool,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, I hope I win, and if I do, I hope that Joe White and Dave Cote will work side by side with me to make the party better. For everyone who’s willing to be involved there’s a place.”

Cicione is a lawyer with the Providence firm Adler, Pollock & Sheehan, worked as a staff attorney for the state Economic Development Corporation and, at age 25, ran for Congress against Patrick Kennedy in 1996, losing soundly.

He may be best known for his 1996 concession speech in which he blasted the congressman for getting “elected because of his name, and of that, he should not be proud.”

That was a long time ago, Cicione said yesterday, adding that he doesn’t think what he said at the time “was that bad.”

“Since then I think I’ve matured in my approach to politics,” he said. “I’m a little bit less rambunctious when it comes to public statements.”

speoples@projo.com