FILE - In this Sept. 4, 2012 file photo, Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee addresses the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C. Chafee, an independent, is joining the Democratic Party ahead of his bid for a second term, two Democratic officials said Thursday, May 29, 2013. He served in the U.S. Senate as a Republican but left the GOP in 2007. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
FILE - In this Sept. 4, 2012 file photo, Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee addresses the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C. Chafee, an independent, is joining the Democratic Party ahead of his bid for a second term, two Democratic officials said Thursday, May 29, 2013. He served in the U.S. Senate as a Republican but left the GOP in 2007. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
FILE - In this May 29, 2012 file photo, Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee speaks at the Statehouse in Providence, R.I. Chafee, an independent, is joining the Democratic Party ahead of his bid for a second term, two Democratic officials said Thursday, May 29, 2013. He served in the U.S. Senate as a Republican but left the GOP in 2007. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)
NARRAGANSETT, R.I. (AP) ? Independent Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee is joining the Democratic Party ahead of his 2014 bid for a second term, his spokeswoman said Wednesday, confirming a move that Chafee has been talking about for months as a way to better position himself for re-election.
Chafee would not immediately address his party switch when asked about it Wednesday after he exited a ferry from Block Island to the mainland, saying only that he would announce his decision at his local board of canvassers in Warwick on Thursday morning. But he did say his priorities haven't changed.
"All I've cared about since my time in public service started is good, honest, efficient government. That hasn't changed. Nothing has changed since I was a councilman in Warwick," Chafee said.
The governor, a former Republican senator, became a political independent in 2007, the year after he lost re-election to the U.S. Senate. He was elected as the nation's only independent governor in 2010.
Chafee has noted in the past that he shares many positions with Democrats and that joining the party would help with fundraising. He is a supporter of President Barack Obama, who he endorsed ahead of the Democratic primary in 2008, and he spoke at last year's Democratic National Convention. But for local Democrats, the move complicates next year's gubernatorial primary and sets up the possibility of a three-way matchup with Providence Mayor Angel Taveras and Treasurer Gina Raimondo.
"The decision by the governor was one of principles and conviction," said his spokeswoman, Christine Hunsinger. She said Chafee discussed his plans with Obama during a meeting at the White House last week.
Obama said in a statement that he was delighted and thrilled by the decision. He called Chafee an "independent thinker and leader who's unafraid to reach across party lines to get things done" and said he looked forward to working with him in the years ahead. Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin, chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, said the group was excited to welcome Chafee and looked forward to "enthusiastically supporting whoever emerges as the Democratic nominee in Rhode Island."
Many local Democrats declined to immediately weigh in, with some saying they hadn't been informed of Chafee's plan. House Speaker Gordon Fox had not been told of Chafee's plans, a spokesman for Fox said. Hours after news of the switch broke, Fox issued a statement saying he was pleased Chafee had joined Democrats' ranks.
Taveras responded by highlighting his own party credentials, saying in a statement that he has been "a Democrat and a Red Sox fan my whole life, and I don't intend on changing either."
Raimondo said she is continuing to seriously consider a run for governor.
"The governor's decision to change parties for a second time has not changed my thinking," she said.
Former longtime Democratic Congressman Patrick Kennedy told The Associated Press that the move makes sense for Chafee given his political views, including his support for Obama's health care overhaul and his longtime support for same-sex marriage, which he recently signed into law in Rhode Island.
When asked how he thinks local Democrats will react, given the likelihood that two longtime Democrats are already running for governor, Kennedy, who now lives in New Jersey, said Democrats know Chafee shares their core principles.
"He has been very progressive in those ways and I think he'll find a lot of people embracing him," Kennedy said, adding, "It's not like he's becoming a Democrat for political expediency alone. He's been consistent."
The decision was also consistent with the relationship between Chafee and Obama. The two men briefly served together in the U.S. Senate and in 2008 Chafee endorsed Obama for president over his onetime political ally, Republican Sen. John McCain. When Chafee ran for governor in 2010, Obama declined to endorse the Democrat in the race out of consideration for Chafee. Chafee was a co-chairman of Obama's 2012 campaign, and spoke at the 2012 party convention, where he said he felt welcome.
Registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans in Rhode Island nearly four to one, although almost half of voters aren't affiliated with any party.
Brown University political science Professor Wendy Schiller said changing parties is a risky move for the governor, setting up a matchup with two of the state's most popular politicians with built-in bases of support.
Taveras is Hispanic and is likely to compete with Chafee for the support of organized labor. Raimondo could win over more conservative Democrats and tussle with Chafee for the party's female voters.
"I still do not see the significant gain for Chafee in switching parties," Schiller said. "Raimondo and Taveras represent the future of the Democratic Party. They span a wide spectrum of Democratic voters. I think he'd really benefit if those two really beat each other up."
Although Rhode Island is heavily Democratic, it has not had a Democratic governor for years. Chafee will become the first Democrat to hold the seat since 1995.
Allan Fung, the Republican mayor of Cranston, who is considering a run for governor, declined to discuss the politics of the governor's move, and predicted a hard-fought Democratic primary.
"Most likely it's going to be a slugfest, and I'm not sure how that's going to play out," he said.
Chafee is son of the late U.S. Sen. John Chafee, a former governor whose name was synonymous with the Republican Party in Rhode Island for decades. When John Chafee died in office in 1999, Lincoln Chafee was appointed to fill his seat, and then won re-election to the post the following year. In the Senate, he voted to the left of many Democrats, opposing the war in Iraq, for example. But he stuck it out as a Republican through his 2006 re-election campaign, which he lost to Sheldon Whitehouse.
He switched parties the following year and made a political comeback in 2010, winning a four-way race for governor with 36 percent of the vote.
As governor, Chafee has struggled with poor approval ratings and some of his policy proposals have fizzled in the face of opposition in the Democratic-controlled General Assembly.
Chafee is a reluctant fundraiser, and he has often depended on personal wealth to fund his campaigns. He told the AP in December that he was considering joining the Democrats to help his chances of winning a second term.
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Associated Press writers Michelle R. Smith and Erika Niedowski in Providence and Ken Thomas and Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.
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