Frank Caprio, a Democrat, is in a tight three-way race for governor of Rhode Island. A White House endorsement could help! But after the White House made clear that Barack Obama wouldn't endorse anyone, Caprio told him to "shove it."


Caprio is essentially deadlocked with independent candidate Lincoln Chaffee, a former Republican Senator who left the party shortly after being ousted by a Democrat in 2006 and realizing that he hates Republicans. He endorsed Barack Obama in 2008 and has a good relationship with the White House. So the Obama administration has apparently chosen to not get involved by endorsing Caprio, lest he lose to Chaffee and the White House ends up with diminished political standing and a broken friendship with the new governor of Rhode Island, a very important state.

The White House made it known yesterday — one day before Obama would go to Rhode Island for rich-people fundraisers — that the president wouldn't be endorsing any candidate. Caprio, however, was still saying last night that he "was looking forward to Obama's visit, and that he would accompany the president to two public appearances," according to the AP.

But when Caprio awoke this morning, he was considerably more pissed. Perhaps he had a nightmare or wet the bed. Either way, it looks like those two joint appearances are very much off the schedule now:

Frank Caprio's campaign last week said he would welcome the president's endorsement. But on Monday, the same day Obama was set to make his first visit to Rhode Island as president and a day after the White House said Obama would endorse no one, Caprio angrily told WPRO-AM that Obama can "take his endorsement and really shove it."

Audio of the "shove it" remark is up top. For someone trying to suggest that he doesn't really care about Obama's endorsement, Caprio kinda sounds like he really cares about Obama's endorsement.