Bill Bartholomew, a do-it-all podcaster, musician and talk radio producer and host at WPRO-AM, is mulling a run for Rhode Island lieutenant governor next year against incumbent Sabina Matos.
Bartholomew hasn’t yet opened a campaign account to begin raising money, but he confirmed that he is seriously considering entering what is expected to be a wide-open, multicandidate race against Matos, a Democrat whose 2023 campaign for Congress was marred by a bizarre signature-collecting scandal that led to a campaign worker being charged with a felony.
While he has never run for office before, Bartholomew has become a mainstay in the local media thanks to his popular podcast, “Bartholomewtown,” which he launched in 2018 (one of his early guests was Dan McKee, who was lieutenant governor at the time). He now produces and frequently fills in as a host of “The Dan Yorke Show” on WPRO.
The bigger picture: Bartholomew would need to prove he has the ability to raise enough money to be competitive – Matos spent more than $500,000 during her first campaign for lieutenant governor in 2022 – but he believes there could be an opening for a center-left candidate in the race.
He is well-liked by progressives who could help him in a Democratic primary, but he has also gained the respect of more-conservative listeners at WPRO. He tends to offer a more-optimistic, upbeat view of Rhode Island than some of his colleagues, but he has been highly critical of Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti’s handling of the Washington Bridge closure.
While nothing would stop him from keeping his podcast, Bartholomew could face pressure to leave the radio gig if he officially enters the race (in 2014, Buddy Cianci kept his job as a radio host after entering the race for mayor, but took a leave of absence after the Democratic primary).
Matos has already said she is running for reelection next year, and plenty of currently elected officials have also been mentioned as potential candidates, including term-limited Attorney General Peter Neronha, state Senator Lou DiPalma, and Central Falls Mayor Maria Rivera.
This story first appeared in Rhode Map, our free newsletter about Rhode Island that also contains information about local events, links to interesting stories, and more. If you’d like to receive it via email Monday through Friday, you can sign up here.
Dan McGowan can be reached at dan.mcgowan@globe.com. Follow him @danmcgowan.