GOP Forced to Fight for Rebel Chafee

North Carolina Sen. Elizabeth Dole, the NRSC chair, warned in a recent letter to GOP donors that if Chafee loses and Democrats take the seat, conservative judicial nominees may not advance and tax cuts could be in jeopardy. But Chafee is already a roadblock on both fronts. He opposed Samuel A. Alito's nomination to the Supreme Court and voted against the Bush tax cuts.

Chafee worries that the letter, which was widely reported in Rhode Island, casts him as a party pawn and could diminish his chances not only on Tuesday but also in a general election, when he will need a huge independent turnout to fend off Whitehouse.

"It's a high-wire act," Chafee said. "In either direction, you can't go too far."

Nor is Chafee convinced that the Republican outpouring has helped him much with conservatives. Many voters complain about the negative ads. First lady Laura Bush, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and other luminaries have campaigned for Chafee, but the senator said he has seen little evidence that voters care. "I'm surprised the Republican support hasn't resonated more deeply," he said.

The senator's family is a pillar of Rhode Island's patrician ruling class, and his father was a popular governor and senator who died in office in 1999. His son had served as mayor of Warwick and had worked as a blacksmith on the Canadian harness-racing circuit before succeeding him.

After being appointed to complete his father's term, Chafee won a full Senate term in 2000, but it remains unclear whether he has formed the deep connection with voters that helps politicians survive volatile times.

Some Rhode Islanders do seem to have grown impatient with Chafee, unsure that he has the grit to tackle the many complicated problems that the country faces. Mary Beth Tsiokas, a Cranston housewife, stopped the senator on the sidewalk last week to ask about terrorism and the Iraq war.

"What would be your plan long term?" Tsiokas quizzed him. Chafee thought for a moment and began talking about the Cold War and the merits of diplomacy. Tsiokas studied the senator skeptically. "I can't get anyone to say why we should be so involved," she said, adding that she was still undecided on how to vote Tuesday.

Laffey relishes pointed questions and will expound on any subject voters raise. Shahnaz Siddigi, a Pakistani immigrant who lives in West Warwick, greeted Laffey at her door one evening and asked him how the United States should deal with Iran. The response was a long-winded lecture about standing up to dictators, weaning the country off foreign oil and completing the Iraq war. Siddigi listened intently, then announced she disagreed with him on every point.

"But I'm voting for you anyway," she reassured Laffey. "I'm impressed with what you're doing. I like your approach."