'I'm not backing Trump': Top official in RI's GOP would rather give up his post than back Trump

PROVIDENCE – When President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, others in his party insisted it was rigged.

When Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts by a New York jury, his party-mates again implied it was rigged.

Steve Frias begged to differ.

Despite his high-ranked position within the Rhode Island GOP, Frias was the only Rhode Island Republican who, when asked where he stood on Trump's conviction, publicly said:

"It is not rigged ... [And] I am not going to attack judges, whether they are a New York state court judge or a United States Supreme Court Justice. I believe in the rule of law. Period."

In the days leading up to that statement, Frias quietly alerted his colleagues in the state Republican Party that he would not run again be one of Rhode Island's two representatives on the Republican National Committee.

Why it matters

In the 12 years he was Rhode Island's Republican NationalCommitteeman, Frias got to travel to wherever the party poo-bahs were meeting and have a say in party rules, policies and strategy to promote the Republican political platform and the "party brand" and help coordinate fundraising and election strategy.

Among the other expectations: that, as a national committeeman, he would wholeheartedly support the party's nominee for president.

That, he decided, he cannot do.

The jury's verdict in the New York hush money case had not yet come down, when Frias, 51, informed party leaders on June 2 that while it had been "an honor," he would not run again for the RNC post when the party gathers later this month.

Why? "I disagree with the direction the national party is headed, so it's time for me to move on and for someone else to be on the RNC," he wrote, while pledging to "continue to help other Republicans as I've done in the past."

And with that, Frias – who says he has no plans to run for any elected office – has set himself apart from many of his fellow Republicans in a state where they are 14% of the electorate and hold 14 seats in the 113-member General Assembly.

Who is Steve Frias?

A son of Portuguese immigrants and a graduate of Brown University and Suffolk University Law School, Frias has written numerous opinion columns about state and local government for The Providence Journal and Cranston Herald, as well as a book: "Cranston and Its Mayors: A History."

A lawyer, writer and serious history buff, Frias has run four times for a legislative seat.

He ran twice for the state Senate from the East Side of Providence, in the early 1990s.

"Local Providence Republicans needed someone to run," he remarked. "I lost both times. It was an interesting learning experience, but I should have spent my time focusing on my studies.''

Decades later, he ran two memorable races against then-House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello. He lost, but came within 85 votes of beating Mattiello on the election night machine count. That was before the mail ballot count – including the discovery of a misplaced box of mail ballots – put the speaker over the top.

Frias made the race a lively affair, with mailers showing in cartoon fashion how Mattiello rewarded his "Cranston cronies" with jobs and perks. His aggressive candidacy has been credited with nudging the speaker into making a dramatic and popular mid-campaign pledge to phase out the car tax.

Along the way, Frias also demonstrated to Cranstonians that he was most definitely a Republican who shared their support for the "Second Amendment," for example, but one who made distinctions. Like Mattiello, he opposed an "assault weapons" ban, but supported the legislative effort to remove guns from people who commit misdemeanor domestic violence.

His platform: "For starters, we should repeal the new tolls, implement dramatic reductions in Rhode Island's tax rates to levels below those of its neighboring states' and "restore public confidence in our state government'' by having lawmakers list "legislative grants'' in the budget; approve restrictions on fundraising while the General Assembly is in session; allow the public to vote on term-limits for lawmakers and a "line-item veto'' for the governor.

His 2016 and 2018 rallying cry: "It's time we clean house at the State House!”

Frias won the top post within the Rhode Island GOP in 2012 against incumbent Joe Trillo, who ultimately withdrew but not before painting him as "far right." Frias countered by saying the party needed to focus on "fiscal issues."

By emphasizing the GOP's position on "sound budgeting" and "stabilizing taxes,'' he predicted – optimistically, as it turned out – that more Republicans would be elected to office.

What drove the decision?

Asked in what way he differs with the direction of the national GOP, Frias told The Journal:

"I'm a Republican ... [who] believe(s) in the constitution and the rule of law. I don't believe that the 2020 election was illegitimate; a vice president can unilaterally reject the electoral college votes; [the] January 6th rioters should be pardoned; a former president has absolute immunity from criminal prosecution or [that] our legal system is rigged."

He made his decision over Memorial Day weekend.

Among reasons: "Under the RNC's rules, members of the national committee are required to support the Republican presidential nominee."

"Like many Americans, I don't want to support either [Joe] Biden or Trump," he said.

What is he going to do?

"I have various options," he explained. "I could write in a Republican. I could just skip that part of the ballot. I'm not voting for Biden and I'm not backing Trump."

He acknowledged that leaving the top of the ballot blank would be a first for him.

Asked what message he hoped his decision would send other Republicans in the state and national party, Frias said: "I think I just have a difference of opinion from them on this."

The two Republicans now vying for Rhode Island's open seat on the Republican National Committee are former state GOP Chairman Giovanni Cicione and Bristol Republican Tom Carroll.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Top-ranked Rhode Island Republican steps away from party post over Trump