New Actor: Ken Block enters governor race as independent

Ken Block announced he is running for Rhode Island governor as an independent. The 60-year-old Barrington software entrepreneur and government watchdog said he is running because he can no longer tolerate dysfunction, waste and warped priorities in state government.

It is his third bid: he took 6.5% as the Moderate Party candidate in 2010 and lost the 2014 Republican primary to Allan Fung, 55% to 45%. Running as an independent lets him skip the September primary and head straight to November; the last independent to win the office was Lincoln Chafee in 2010.

Block said he will test viability with fundraising and a poll and would step aside if there is no path. He opened his campaign by attacking the state’s handling of the westbound Washington Bridge shutdown and recent technology failures such as the new payroll system, saying there has been little transparency or accountability. He currently has no money in his campaign account.

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources