Want to root for the underdog in 2016? Lincoln Chafee can be that guy.
The former Governor of Rhode Island announced Thursday he is running for the Democratic presidential nomination — just one week after announcing he had formed an exploratory committee.
Or did he?
“Yes, that’s why I’m running. Because I feel strong about where we’re going as a country,” Chafee told CNN Thursday when asked about his criticism of Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton. However, his response to John Berman’s question was not in the context of having formally declared his campaign.
Chafee spokeswoman Debbie Rich said after the interview that Chafee did not officially declare himself as presidential candidate.
“We are still in the exploratory committee phase,” she told CNN in a phone interview. “We will file the proper papers to be an official candidate, but that has not happened yet.”
Prior to serving as Rhode Island’s governor from January 2011 to January 2015, Chafee was a Republican senator from 1999 to 2007. He was an independent from 2007 to 2013 before become a Democrat in 2013.
Acknowledging that his name does not appear on any major polls ranking the Democratic presidential candidates, Chafee said, “There’s no doubt I’m the underdog.”
