Analyst: Gemma stumbles out of the gate

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - Less than 24 hours after jumping into the race for Rhode Island's 1st Congressional District seat, businessman Anthony Gemma may have already made some missteps.

Gemma announced Sunday he'll challenge U.S. Rep. David Cicilline in the Democratic primary. However, instead of focusing on the incumbent, Gemma turned his attention to the Republican candidate, Brendan Doherty. In fact, during his speech on Sunday Gemma called out Doherty but never mentioned Cicilline by name.

That, according to Eyewitness News political analyst Joe Fleming, was misstep number one.

"I think he has to realize he's running against David Cicilline at this time and not Brendan Doherty," Fleming said. "Do not overlook David Cicilline. He's a very strong campaigner. He knows how to campaign. He's been working for the last year trying to rebuild his image."

Still, Fleming said it could be a challenging primary for Cicilline.

"David Cicilline now has twice the problems he had earlier. He's now facing a Democratic primary, which means the Providence issue is going to come forward even sooner," Fleming said, referencing the financial crisis plaguing the capital city. "I would think Anthony Gemma is going to make that a big issue of the campaign."

Misstep number two, according to Fleming, was Gemma's decision to avoid the media after his announcement.

Following his 15-minute speech, Gemma immediately got into a car and left Prospect Terrace Park.

Fleming said any candidate should be prepared to answer questions from the media. He said it was a mistake on Gemma's part to avoid reporters.

Gemma ran unsuccessfully against Cicilline in a 2010 primary, after which Cicilline went on to win in the general election, replacing the retiring U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy. This year's Democratic primary is set for Sept. 11.

A February WPRI 12 poll showed Doherty with a double-digit lead over both Cicilline and Gemma in a general election matchup, though more voters were undecided with Gemma as the Democratic nominee.