Former Rhode Island mayor launches presidential bid

Steve Laffey, the former mayor of Cranston, Rhode Island, announced Thursday that he is running for president in 2024. 

In a video statement, the Republican said he was running to help the U.S. confront its problems, including the financial crisis.

"My party and the elected leaders of our country simply refuse to do so," he said, adding that specific solutions were necessary.

In a statement, he echoed those sentiments, stating further that America needs a plan that "directly confronts the problem of Social Security." 

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"This next period in the United States calls for a financial expert. We do not need another lofty businessman, nor another career politician. We need someone to guide this country in the right direction. I believe that I am the only person running who has the financial background, the backbone and the track record that proves that I will do exactly what I say," he said. 

The Colorado resident said that he wants to "convince people that the Republican party must change the way that it conducts business."

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"I have had enough with waiting around, waiting for someone to do something to change this nation for the better. I have had enough with the Federal Reserve knowingly causing inflation, which causes suffering throughout the country. I have had it with the ‘talking lane’ of corrupt American politicians," Laffey said.

The issues highlighted on Laffey's campaign website include education, China, the national debt, U.S. spending and the Second Amendment. 

Laffey served as Cranston's mayor from 2003 to 2007. 

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He also ran for the U.S. Senate in 2006 against Lincoln Chafee, who won the Republican primary.