Facing a perceived disadvantage as the somewhat more conservative of two Democrats in next year's gubernatorial primary, state treasurer Frank Caprio is responding by trying to foster a sense of inevitability about his campaign. He's done this in part by 1) building an imposing war chest; 2) expressing plans to spend to spend big chunks of it early and often; and 3) crafting an appealing message and honing his skills on the stump.

Caprio demonstrated the latter with his Drinking Liberally appearance at the Wild Colonial last Wednesday. I'll have a bit more on that some time this week. For now, you can find Matt Jerzyk's review at Rhode Island's Future (which also, btw, has a detailed roundup by Brian Hull on the emerging field seeking to succeed Caprio as treasurer.

For now, another sign of Caprio's all-out assault on the governor's office can be seen in his hiring -- as described by the candidate to me -- of the DC firm of Ralston Lapp Media, which did some work on Barack Obama's presidential campaign.

 The company blurbs itself this way:

Every campaign—every candidate—is different. We take the time to get to know you so we can better tell your story. We'll help you stand out from the crowd with advertising and strategies that are fresh and innovative. At Ralston Lapp Media, we win the tough ones.

Rhode Island's 2010 Democratic gubernatorial primary will in all likelihood remain a tough one. Attorney General Patrick Lynch brings considerable political assets, particularly in a Democratic primary, including his experienced campaign manager, Mike Mikus.

Another strong point for Lynch is the kitchen counsel of his savvy brother Bill -- who, despite continuing to demur last week, during a WPRO interview with Buddy Cianci, on whether he will run for AG -- seems destined to support his sibling's gov run by keeping a lower profile.