DfER Hot List Results in RI

OK, how'd the Democrats for Education Reform "Hot List" candidates do in Rhode Island?

• Angel 
Taveras 
–
 This
 young, 
pragmatic 
leader 
running 
in 
crowded 
primary 
race 
for 
Mayor 
of Providence, 
and
 already 
has 
some
 significant
 support. 
Rhode 
Island 
has 
been 
a
 hotbed
 for
 education 
reform, 
but 
Providence
 needs 
to 
finally 
get 
in 
on 
it. 
Angel
 will 
make that 
happen.

  Taveras registered a strong win citywide with around half the vote, with the "old guard" candidates splitting the rest. This probably means more charters, but it is rather unclear what it might mean for the PPSD (other than closing schools due to losing students to charters...). I'm not sure in what sense we're less a "hotbed for education reform" than the rest of the state. What'll probably really happen is a maintenance of the reformy status quo.
• Rep.
Doug 
Gablinske 
and
 Rep.
 Ken Vaudreuil
 - These
 guys 
have 
provided
 the
 legislative
 backbone
 for 
a 
lot 
of
 the 
most 
exciting 
reforms 
to 
hit 
Rhode 
Island 
in 
the 
last 
few 
years, 
and 
they 
are 
in trouble 
at 
the 
polls 
because
 of 
it. 
 DFER 
support 
for
 these 
races 
will 
be
 seen
 as 
a tremendous 
sign 
of 
goodwill 
by 
Speaker 
Gordon 
Fox, 
another
 strong
 reform 
partner.

  To be honest, I know nothing about either of these guys except that they lost.

In a somewhat related note, I wouldn't bet on Deborah Gist replacing Michelle Rhee, but it is worth noting that RI's next governor will either be independent Linc Chafee, who immediately spoke out against the Central Falls firings and is generally sane, or Democrat Frank Caprio, who is generally not my kind of Democrat, but his wife is a Providence teacher. So the worm will slowly turn on the makeup of the RI Board of Regents, among other things, moderating RI's reformy direction and giving Gist an excuse to leave if she wanted to.