Rep. Elizabeth M. Dennigan, center, meeting with fellow House Finance Committee members Thomas Slater and Joanne Giannini in April, has announced she will run for the U.S. Congress. .

The Providence Journal / Connie Grosch

State Rep. Elizabeth M. Dennigan will run for Congress in 2010, a move that pits her against five-term incumbent Congressman James R. Langevin and the state’s Democratic establishment in the race for Rhode Island’s 2nd Congressional District seat.

Dennigan, a Democratic member of the General Assembly since 1997, confirmed her decision in a Monday interview, but plans to make a formal announcement at a campaign kickoff event Tuesday evening.

“We think we can make a positive difference in Congress. I look at this as an exciting challenge,” Dennigan said. “Even though I’ve been a legislator for more than 12 years, people don’t know me, don’t know what a hard worker I am. My job is to get out there.”

Dennigan, 54, is a lawyer and an emergency nurse at Kent Hospital, and serves on the House Finance Committee.

She knows she faces an uphill battle.

Dennigan is taking on a firmly entrenched Democrat who enjoys a substantial fundraising advantage and the support of Rhode Island’s Democratic machine. State Democratic Party Chairman William J. Lynch wasted no time issuing a statement backing Langevin after the news seeped out Monday.

“While I respect Representative Dennigan and admire the work she has done for her constituents in Pawtucket and East Providence, I can think of no better advocate for the people of Rhode Island’s Second Congressional District than Jim Langevin,” Lynch said. “I’m proud to support Jim Langevin and look forward to doing all that I can to help him win reelection.”

Dennigan had this response: “I’m not going to win this based on the support of other [party] officials solely. I really need to get out there and get to know the people of the Second District.”

Monday’s announcement, which comes roughly 13 months before the Democratic primary, was largely expected. Dennigan met privately with Langevin in late June to express interest in the seat.

“The congressman takes every challenge seriously. He looks forward to a good-spirited campaign,” Langevin spokeswoman Joy Fox said.

While she grew up in West Warwick, Dennigan currently lives in East Providence, part of the 1st Congressional District. The U.S. Constitution requires candidates to live in the state for which they seek federal office, but not the specific district. Dennigan plans to move anyway. She said her family is “in the process” of moving to a summer home in Narragansett, which is in the 2nd District.

Her address may be the least of her problems, according to political observers.

“It’s going to be a very difficult slog,” University of Rhode Island political science Prof. Maureen Moakley said, suggesting that Dennigan may need more than one election cycle to win. “Traditionally, at least in this state, you have to take the long view when you go up against powerful, entrenched incumbents. You have to look at this as a multi-election quest.”

Dennigan said she has every intention of beating Langevin in her first attempt. “This is not a long-term plan,” she said.

Former Brown Prof. Jennifer Lawless was the most recent Democrat to challenge Langevin from the left. Largely seizing on the congressman’s pro-life position, she spent more than $359,000 in the 2006 Democratic primary and earned 38.2 percent of the vote in the losing effort.

Dennigan declined to discuss her platform in detail, preferring to release details at Tuesday’s event. But she suggested that abortion would not be a key issue.

“I don’t think, from what I sense as a legislator, that is what is on the forefront of most people’s minds,” she said. “You’re going to hear me talk a lot about jobs and the economy. And certainly with the health-care reform debate going on, you’ll hear me talking about that.”

Langevin already has a substantial fundraising head start.

He raised $188,805 for the three-month period between April 1 and June 30, according to his latest filing with the Federal Election Commission. That left the congressman with $300,053 on hand at the end of the quarter.

Dennigan cannot begin raising money for a congressional bid until she establishes a federal candidate committee. That was one of the factors in her decision to announce this week, she said.

Her state campaign committee last week reported no cash on hand — although she held at least one fundraiser in early June and repaid an outstanding loan balance of $8,536, according to the State Board of Elections.

While money isn’t everything, it’s an important factor in congressional elections. In 2006, for example, the average winner in a U.S. House race spent $1.25 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

“We need to be realistic,” Dennigan said. “We need to raise money. And I’m sure we will be able to raise a sufficient amount to win this campaign.”Elizabeth M. Dennigan

PARTY: Democrat

OFFICE SOUGHT: U.S. Congress, 2nd District, currently held by James R. Langevin.

CURRENT POSITION: State representative, District 62, East Providence, Pawtucket

PREVIOUS OFFICE: First elected to General Assembly in 1996

AGE: 54

RESIDENCE: 54 Horsford Ave., East Providence (but moving soon)

PROFESSION: Attorney and emergency nurse

EDUCATION: West Warwick High School, 1972; St. Joseph Nursing School, R.N., 1975; St. Joseph College, B.S., 1988; New England School of Law, J.D., 1993.

FAMILY: Married and mother of four daughters.

speoples@projo.com