Chafee's father, John Chafee, was the senior United States Senator from Rhode Island, who had intended to retire, and not seek reelection in 2000; Lincoln had intended to run to win his father's seat the same year. On October 24, 1999, John Chafee died, and Republican Governor Lincoln Almond appointed his son, then a Republican to fill the vacancy of his Republican father. Due to the proximity between his appointment and the scheduled election in 2000, no special election was called. Chafee was elected to his seat outright with a large majority. Having been seen as the most liberal Republican senator, Chafee was faced with a tough primary battle against Steve Laffey in 2006, which he won by a 54 to 46 percent margin. His battle with Laffey in the primary excessively drained his campaign funds. Chafee lost to Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse, and was one of six Republican seats lost when Democrats regained their majority in the midterm elections of 2006. After his Senate loss, Chafee left the Republican Party, saying, "it's not my party anymore". After a hiatus following his loss, he announced his candidacy for Governor of Rhode Island; in a seven-way race, Chafee won the governorship with 36 percent of the vote. Having previously indicated the possibility that he might run for re-election for Governor as a Democrat, Chafee officially joined the Democratic Party onMay 30, 2013. He chose against running for re-election in 2014.
Presidential politics
In the 2008 presidential election, he formally endorsed the Democratic nominee Barack Obama. In 2012, Chafee was one of 35 co-chairs selected to serve on President Barack Obama'sre-election campaign. On April 9, 2015, Chafee announced that he had formed an exploratory committee in preparation for a potential candidacy for the Democratic Party's 2016 presidential nomination. The following month, on May 29, it was confirmed that Chafee would announce his decision regarding a 2016 presidential bid on June 3.
Campaign
Chafee formally announced his presidential candidacy in a speech he delivered at the George Mason Center for Politics & Foreign Relations in Arlington, Virginia on June 3, 2015.
Chafee participated in the first of the Democratic primary debates on October 13, 2015. Many felt the format favored the predominant candidates Clinton and Sanders, who received much more time than the others. In addition, Chafee was repeatedly interrupted by moderator Anderson Cooper. His performance was widely panned by voters and commentators alike, primarily citing his poor responses to questions regarding how he voted while in the Senate, as well as changing his party affiliation multiple times. In the aftermath of the debate, Chafee's candidacy was further discredited by pundits, with some even describing it as "futile." His performance was mocked by "Saturday Night Live," which portrayed him as a bumbling space cadet. "Good night America, bye forever," his doppelgänger said with a wave.
Withdrawal
Following a poor debate performance, low polling numbers and paltry fundraising, Chafee announced on October 23, 2015 that he would be suspending his campaign.
