Rhode Island’s Chafee to Join Democratic Party

BOSTON â€" Gov. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, the only Independent governor in the nation, plans to switch to the Democratic Party as he faces a tough re-election fight next year.

Mr. Chafee, who served in the United States Senate as a Republican, had discussed the possibility of becoming a Democrat for months and spoke last year at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C.

He was unavailable for comment on Wednesday, but a spokesman, Christian Vareika, confirmed the news after it was first reported by Politico. Mr. Vareika said Mr. Chafee would announce his decision Thursday morning in his hometown, Warwick.

He said the governor had concluded that “the priorities and principles that have guided him throughout his career align with the Democratic Party’s,” particularly with regard to public education, job creation and equal rights.

With three-fourths of voters disapproving of his job performance and the state’s economy limping along, analysts say that becoming a Democrat may be Mr. Chafee’s best shot at winning re-election. His apparent hope is that as a Democrat, President Obama will step in on his behalf and help him through a difficult primary.

Mr. Chafee and Mr. Obama, who overlapped in their short Senate careers, have developed a supportive relationship. Mr. Chafee backed Mr. Obama in his battle against Hillary Clinton in the Democratic presidential primary in 2008 and supported him again in 2012.

In turn, Mr. Obama stayed out of the Rhode Island governor’s race in 2010 and did not endorse the Democratic candidate “out of respect for his friend Lincoln Chafee,” an Obama spokesman said at the time.

In a statement issued Wednesday through the Democratic National Committee, Mr. Obama said, “I’m delighted to hear that Governor Chafee is joining the Democratic Party.” But he gave no hint as to whether he would endorse anyone in a Democratic primary.

By contrast, Gov. Peter Shumlin of Vermont, chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, indicated in a statement that the association would stay neutral in any intramural battle. “We are excited to welcome Governor Chafee to the ranks of Democratic governors and look forward to enthusiastically supporting whoever emerges as the Democratic nominee in Rhode Island,” he said.

At the moment, Mr. Chafee’s prospects for re-election seem fairly low. Various Democrats are lining up to run against him, including two potentially strong contenders: Gina Raimondo, the state treasurer, and Angel Taveras, the mayor of Providence.

“His move comes from thinking, ‘If I don’t switch parties, I’m going to lose anyway,’ ” said Wendy Schiller, a political scientist at Brown University. “And maybe as a Democrat, the president can come out for him wholeheartedly or at least help dry up the funding for the other candidates.”

But this will be tricky, she said, in part because Ms. Raimondo is a woman and Mr. Taveras a Latino, both representing important Democratic constituencies. Mr. Chafee is “a white patrician Yankee who was a Republican,” Dr. Schiller said.

Former E.P.A. Administrator Joins Apple

Apple has hired Lisa P. Jackson, who served as chief of the Environmental Protection Agency during President Obama’s first term, to serve as the company’s senior environmental adviser, Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive, announced on Tuesday.

Mr. Cook spoke at D: All Things Digital, a technology conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., on Tuesday.

Ms. Jackson, who oversaw some of the administration’s biggest environmental initiatives, including rules doubling automobile fuel efficiency and the first regulations limiting emissions of mercury and other toxins from power plants, will report directly to Mr. Cook. The company has pledged to significantly reduce its energy use and carbon footprint by substituting renewable energy for fossil fuels at its data centers.

She became a lightning rod for Republican critics of the administration’s efforts to address climate change and reduce power plant and coal mine pollution.

Ms. Jackson said in a statement late Tuesday, “Apple has shown how innovation can drive real progress by removing toxins from its products, incorporating renewable energy in its data center plans, and continually raising the bar for energy efficiency in the electronics industry. I look forward to helping support and promote these efforts, as well as leading new ones in the future aimed at protecting the environment.”

The company has been under fire recently for employing foreign tax shelters to reduce its United States tax bill.

The Early Word: Beachheads

In Today’s Times

• President Obama’s visit to the Jersey Shore seven months after Hurricane Sandy ravaged the famous coastline made for good optics as he and Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey appeared together, Michael D. Shear and Mark Leibovich report. For Mr. Obama it was a snapshot of a rare bipartisan partnership that has worked, and for Mr. Christie it was proof that he stands apart from the kind of ideological rigidity that could alienate large swaths of the Democratic-leaning electorate of New Jersey.

• Congressional Republicans are increasing pressure on the Obama administration over the handling of the September Benghazi attacks, this time by targeting several top aides to Hillary Rodham Clinton with subpoenas for information, Jeremy W. Peters reports.

• The White House is expected to name Jason Furman, the deputy director of the National Economic Council, as chairman of the president’s Council of Economic Advisers, Annie Lowrey writes. He is one of the last holdovers from the original Obama administration who helped manage the financial crisis and deep recession.

Around the Web

• A group of lawmakers has joined a mounting campaign urging the Washington Redskins football team to change its name, Politico reports. The representatives sent a letter to the team owner and other National Football League officials saying the name is “a racial, derogatory slur.”

Happening in Washington

• A luncheon and panel discussion Wednesday about the impact of technology on women and democracy will include Madeleine K. Albright, the former secretary of state, and Tina Brown, the editor in chief of The Daily Beast.