WASHINGTON -- Running for president can be a humbling experience. And former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee is testing the depths of a candidate's psychological endurance.
The one time Republican-turned-Independent-turned Democrat barely raised any money for his White House bid, reporting less than $30,000 on hand. And on Wednesday morning came a new poll from Monmouth University that shows him with zero percent. As in, there is no registered support for him.
Were this a one-time thing, perhaps Chafee could chalk it up to the variance of public polling. But, in fact, he's been hovering at 0.0 percent for some time now, according to the Huffpost Pollster averages. His campaign did not immediately return a request for comment.
Chafee is contending with some of the same variables that have kept others in the field way down at the low rungs of public support. Eclipsed by the star power of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and unable to tap into the same type of grassroots support as Sen. Bernie Sanders, there really hasn't been much space to operate on the trail. Both former Gov. Martin O'Malley and former Sen. Jim Webb registered at 1 percent in the Monmouth poll.
Chafee has the type of liberal record that would suit a Democrat well in a presidential year. But his odd campaigning style, his complete lack of money or infrastructure, and his virtually non-existent name recognition have left him, basically, alone.