If you haven’t heard the term “First Gentleman”, get ready.
It could become the way to describe former President Bill Clinton after November should his wife, Hillary Clinton, be elected president.
Clinton has already made history as the first woman to be nominated for president by a major political party. Bill would be poised to follow suit in a different sphere should Hillary go all the way to the White House.
Democratic party faithful contend that their party continues to be forward thinking in its search for the next rising star.
Firmly within that constellation is Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo, who’s the only woman Governor at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia and – along with Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey – one of six convention co-chairs, .
Raimondo says her husband Andy Moffit is more than willing to give Bill Clinton advice on how to be a "First Gentleman" or an elected official's right-hand man.
“It’s an honor to be asked to be a co-chair of the convention since it’s a historical election that is nominating the country’s first woman president,” says Raimondo.
“A woman’s role is changing in politics and the most important thing is for women to at the table for every aspect of public life. The message is that women need to run [for higher office] because we can’t afford to have half of our population or our half of our brainpower not at the table,” said Raimondo.
Raimondo has been actively head hunting high-tech business. “We've had a good deal of luck," she said, "A month ago, GE announced it's moving its GE Digital program to Rhode Island."
The Governor recognizes that she's Rhode Island’s top salesperson. She says she enjoys partnering with Massachusetts Republican Governor Charlie Baker. She adds, “we help each other bring prosperity to the region."
Raimondo says her husband Andy Moffit is more than willing to give Bill Clinton advice on how to be a "First Gentleman" or an elected official's right-hand man. He would happily accept the former president's telephone call. She says her husband loves his role as “First Gentleman”, and that she and he work together as a team raising their two children.
She says Moffit is championing issues on his own, including outdoor recreation, child poverty, as well as health and food security.
In September, RI will be the first state in the nation to have computer science taught in all state classrooms.
Raimondo points to her role as the mother of two children as the reason why she put so much into achieving that goal.
To listen to the entire interview with RI Governor Gina Raimondo and WGBH’s Morning Edition host Bob Seay click on the audio file above.
