Allan Fung returns to the political stage, now looking to go to Washington.
“It’s so good to be back!” Fung said at a kick-off event in East Greenwich Tuesday for his campaign for Rhode Island’s 2nd Congressional District. Incumbent Rep. Jim Langevin is retiring.
Fung, a Republican, is a former Cranston mayor and two-time gubernatorial candidate.
“You know me,” Fung said.
And he’s now trying to appeal to voters on perhaps the biggest national issue.
“We have to tackle this uncontrolled inflation that’s hitting us in our pocketbooks,” Fung said. “We need to put a stop the insane progressive spending.”
Fung tried to paint himself as middle of the road.
“We’ll help to end the hyper partisanship that has made us all disgusted with national politics,” he said.
But Fung being a Republican is what potential Democratic opponents will seize on, trying to paint him as extreme.
A union worker stood outside the Fung event, holding a well-circulated picture of Fung wearing a Trump hat at Donald Trump’s inauguration in 2017.
Democrat Seth Magaziner has made use of the photo, and his campaign issued a statement Tuesday claiming, “The very first vote Allan Fung would cast in Congress would be to make Kevin McCarthy speaker of the House so he can push an extreme right-wing agenda.”
NBC 10 News asked Fung what he thinks of Trump and if he would support Republican leadership.
“I can tell you one thing. The people that I’m looking forward to getting support from are the people in 2nd Congressional District. And you know why the Democrats are going to be rolling out that picture? Because they’re scared," Fung replied.
“I support a lot of the Republican leadership’s policies and agenda they’re putting out. It fits in line with what I’m hoping to do,” He said.
Fung faces Bob Lancia in the Republican primary in September.