Hours before a gubernatorial debate Monday evening, independent candidate Joseph Trillo walked back comments to The Journal on Friday that he intended to stay in the race to draw votes away from his Republican rival, Cranston Mayor Allan Fung.

Trillo was blaming Fung for the revelation of his 1975 assault charge, when he was accused of whacking 12-year-old Nicholas Mattiello, the current Rhode Island House Speaker, with a caulking gun. Trillo believed the emergence of his old arrest was political retribution for bringing up a fatal car crash involving Fung.

Trillo told the Journal on Friday that he wasn't going to quit the race; a recent poll by The Journal, ABC6 and The Public's Radio, formerly Rhode Island Public Radio, showed Trillo trailing at 5 percent. “I’ll stay in this if I’ve got 2 points, as long as I take them away from [Fung] now,” Trillo said on Friday.

Hours before a gubernatorial debate Monday evening, independent candidate Joseph Trillo walked back comments to The Journal on Friday that he intended to stay in the race to draw votes away from his Republican rival, Cranston Mayor Allan Fung.
Trillo was blaming Fung for the revelation of his 1975 assault charge, when he was accused of whacking 12-year-old Nicholas Mattiello, the current Rhode Island House Speaker, with a caulking gun. Trillo believed the emergence of his old arrest was political retribution for bringing up a fatal car crash involving Fung.
Trillo told the Journal on Friday that he wasn't going to quit the race; a recent poll by The Journal, ABC6 and The Public's Radio, formerly Rhode Island Public Radio, showed Trillo trailing at 5 percent. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll stay in this if I&rsquo;ve got 2 points, as long as I take them away from [Fung] now,&rdquo; Trillo said on Friday.

A collection of interviews,  press conferences and news actualities from the Newsroom of the Providence Journal, Providence, Rhode Island.

News interviews and actualities from  The Providence Journal

From the Newsroom: The Providence Journal

A collection of interviews,  press conferences and news actualities from the Newsroom of the Providence Journal.

Advertisement