For Rhode Island’s most mocked statewide elected office, there’s no shortage of people who want to be lieutenant governor.

Former Republican state representative John Loughlin announced over the weekend that he is quitting his weekly talk-radio show on WPRO to run for the state’s No. 2 office, which is often criticized for having no major constitutional responsibilities but is first in the line of succession to be governor.

Loughlin instantly becomes the GOP frontrunner to take on the winner of what looks to be a crowded Democratic primary, which currently includes incumbent Sabina Matos, former state senator Cindy Coyne, and Providence Councilwoman Sue AnderBois. Newport City Councilman Xay Khamsyvoravong is also actively raising money to run for the job.

The bigger picture: Loughlin has the chance to be the most interesting non-gubernatorial statewide candidate that Republicans have put up in years. He’s a smart, self-deprecating guy who knows how to run for office – don’t forget that he gave David Cicilline the closest race of his career (at least for major offices), losing to Cicilline in the 1st Congressional District by just 6 percentage points in 2010.

Then again, 16 years (as of next year) is an eternity in politics, and Loughlin will have to prove he can run a modern campaign. In his 2010 congressional race, fewer than 5,800 mail ballots were cast. There’s a good chance that nearly 100,000 people will vote early in-person or by mail in next year’s lieutenant governor’s race.

On the Democratic side, Matos is considered vulnerable because of her mistake-ridden campaign for Congress in 2023, and because she has struggled to raise money for her reelection bid. Still, she’s the incumbent, which has built-in advantages.

Assuming Khamsyvoravong jumps in the race, he’ll easily have a financial advantage over everyone else running. Coyne is a former chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and AnderBois could be the most progressive statewide candidate next year, which will generate energy in the activist community.