Robert Corrente (Burns & Levinson LLP)

As the Republican party debates its future, Robert Corrente, a former U.S. Attorney in Rhode Island, announced he will not run for governor next year on a third-party ticket, The Providence Journal reported.

Corrente met last month with leaders of the new Moderate Party to discuss a possible gubernatorial run. But he rejected the overtures. “I’m not going to do it,” Corrente told The Journal. “It’s certainly an interesting landscape for next year, and the whole race looks intriguing, but it’s not a good time for me, given where I am in my career.” Corrente said he needs a private sector salary to put another child through college.

President George W. Bush appointed Corrente to be Rhode Island’s top federal prosecutor in 2004. He retired earlier this year to become a partner at Burns & Levinson LLP.

Corrente’s flirtation with the Moderate Party comes as Republicans are groping and arguing their way toward a new winning formula. Conservatives who helped drive moderates out of the party over the last 15 years are demanding orthodoxy from Republican nominees. But candidates who tack too far to the right are losing, while those who stick to the center are getting elected.

Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman was defeated in a special election Tuesday to fill an upstate New York House seat after conservatives drove a more centrist Republican, Dede Scozzava, out of the race. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) rallied for the center by supporting Scozzava, while 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, a conservative standard-bearer, backed Hoffman.

But in Virginia, Republican Bob McDonnell, a conservative Christian who earned a master’s degree at televangelist Pat Robertson’s Regent University, downplayed divisive social issues like abortion and instead emphasized job-creation. McDonnell won decisively over his Democratic rival Tuesday.

Rhode Island is closely associated with the dying brand of moderate Republicanism. The late Sen. John Chaffee (R-R.I.) was a leader of a vocal group of moderate Senate Republicans in the 1990s. He was succeeded in the Senate by his son, Lincoln Chafee, who often took positions that were more liberal than some Democrats. But Chafee was defeated for reelection in 2006 by Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse. Now, the Senate’s club of moderate GOPers is now down to just two: Maine Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins.

Corrente informed the Moderate Party of his decision during a private meeting Monday. “I think it’s critically important that we have a credible opposition party,” Corrente told The Journal, adding that he’s “thinking about” changing his official party affiliation to Moderate. The party’s executive director, Christine Hunsinger, last month referred to Corrente as a “recovering Republican.”

Current Gov. Don Carcieri (R) is term-limited and cannot run for re-election. Other candidates in the race for governor include state Rep. Joe Trillo (R), state treasurer Frank Caprio (D), state Attorney General Patrick Lynch (D) and ex-Sen. Lincoln Chafee, who is running as an independent.

Also of note is attorney Bob Healey Jr., who is running on the Cool Moose ticket. According to the party platform posted on Healey’s Web site, the Cool Moose party stands for “as limited a government intrusion into private life as possible.”

Robert Corrente (Burns & Levinson LLP)

Robert Corrente, a former U.S. Attorney in Rhode Island, is considering running for governor next year, WPRI reported. Corrente served as Rhode Island’s top prosecutor from 2004 until earlier this year. He currently is a partner at Burns & Levinson LLP.

This morning, Corrente met with members of the newly-formed Moderate Party over coffee and donuts at the party’s headquarters to discuss a possible gubernatorial run, according to the party’s new executive director Christine Hunsinger, WPRI reported.

Hunsinger told WPRI the party is discussing next year’s race with “more than six people.” “[Corrente] is strong on the issue of ethics,” she told WPRI, adding, “We need to make sure the person we choose is the right person.” According to WPRI, Hunsinger would not comment on when the party will select a candidate; however the decision will be made by the party’s seven-member board, which plans to add more members soon.

Hunsinger referred to Corrente — a registered Republican who was appointed U.S. Attorney by President Bush — as a “recovering Republican,” WPRI reported. The party’s Web site says: “Moderate Party believes the answer” to fixing government “resides in focusing on four issues: Economy, Ethics, Education and Environment.”

Current Gov. Don Carcieri (R) is term-limited and cannot run for re-election. The candidates who have officially entered the race include state Rep. Joe Trillo (R), state treasurer Frank Caprio (D), state Attorney General Patrick Lynch (D) and former Sen. Lincoln Chafee, who served in the Senate as a Republican but was considered more liberal on many issues than some Democrats. Chafee is running as an Independent candidate.

Also of note is attorney Bob Healey Jr., who is running on the Cool Moose ticket. According to the party platform posted on Healey’s Web site, the Cool Moose party stands for “as limited a government intrusion into private life as possible.”

The Senate confirmed six U.S. Attorneys this afternoon by unanimous consent.

They are:

Steven Dettelbach (ohio.gov)

Carter Stewart (Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease)

-Steven Dettelbach (Northern District of Ohio): The partner at the Baker & Hostetler law firm was nominated July 14. Dettelbach will replace Gregory White, who resigned in 2008. Read more about Dettelbach here.

-Carter Stewart (Southern District of Ohio): The associate at the Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease law firm was nominated July 14. He will replace Gregory Lockhart, who resigned last month. Read more about the appointee here.

Peter Neronha (DOJ)

Daniel Bogden (Getty Images)

-Peter Neronha (Rhode Island): The Rhode Island Assistant U.S. Attorney was nominated July 31. Neronha will replace Robert Clark Corrente, who resigned June 26. Read more about the appointee here.

-Daniel Bogden (Nevada): The former Nevada U.S. Attorney, who was fired during the 2006 U.S. Attorney purge, was re-nominated July 31. Bogden will replace Gregory Brower, whose resignation is effective Oct. 10. Read more about Bogden here.

Neil MacBride (Business Software Alliance)

-Dennis Burke (Arizona): Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano’s senior adviser on border security and law enforcement was nominated July 14. Burke will replace Diane Humetewa, who resigned Aug. 2. Read more about the appointee here.

-Neil MacBride (Eastern District of Virginia): The Justice Department Associate Deputy Attorney General was nominated Aug. 6. MacBride will replace Chuck Rosenberg, who resigned in October 2008. Read more about MacBride here.

The Senate has now confirmed all 11 U.S. Attorneys that have been reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

On Thursday, the panel is slated to consider U.S. Attorney nominees Jenny Durkan for the Western District of Washington and Paul Fishman for New Jersey. After the committee votes on Durkan and Fishman, it will still have to consider five more U.S. Attorney nominees. The panel has not announced when it will vote on the five nominees.

The Senate Judiciary Committee reported four U.S. Attorney nominees out of committee today by voice vote.

They are:

Daniel Bogden (Getty Images)

-Daniel Bogden (Nevada): The former Nevada U.S. Attorney, who was fired during the 2006 U.S. Attorney purge, was re-nominated July 31. Bogden would replace Gregory Brower. Read more about Bogden here.

Neil MacBride (Business Software Alliance)

-Dennis Burke (Arizona): Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano’s senior adviser on border security and law enforcement was nominated July 14. Burke would replace Diane Humetewa, who resigned Aug. 2. Read more about the nominee here.

-Neil MacBride (Eastern District of Virginia): The Justice Department Associate Deputy Attorney General was nominated Aug. 6. MacBride would replace Chuck Rosenberg, who resigned in October 2008. Read more about MacBride here.

-Peter Neronha (Rhode Island): The Rhode Island Assistant U.S. Attorney was nominated July 31. Neronha would replace Robert Clark Corrente, who resigned June 26. Read more about the nominee here.

“I think they are nominees worthy of confirmation,” Judiciary Ranking Member Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) said at the meeting today.

The panel has now endorsed a total of 11 U.S. Attorney nominees, including five who were confirmed by the full Senate last month. Another seven U.S. Attorney nominees have yet to be considered by the committee.

Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) criticized Senate delays on DOJ nominees in prepared remarks for the confirmation hearing of Environment and Natural Resources Division nominee Ignacia Moreno and four federal judges.

DOJ nominees who are still awaiting Senate confirmation include Dawn Johnsen for the Office of Legal Counsel, Thomas Perez for the Civil Rights Division, Mary L. Smith for the Tax Division, and Christopher Schroeder for the Office of Legal Policy. In addition, two U.S. Attorney nominees — Steven M. Dettelbach for the Northern District of Ohio and Carter M. Stewart for the Southern District of Ohio – have already been reported out of committee and “deserve prompt consideration by the full Senate,” Leahy said.

The Senate Judiciary Committee will consider three U.S. Attorney nominees at a Sept. 10 meeting, the panel announced today.

Peter Neronha (DOJ)

They are:

-Peter Neronha (Rhode Island): The Rhode Island Assistant U.S. Attorney was nominated July 31. Neronha would replace Robert Clark Corrente, who resigned June 26. Read more about the nominee here.

Daniel Bogden (Getty Images)

-Daniel Bogden (Nevada): The former Nevada U.S. Attorney, who was fired during the 2006 U.S. Attorney purge, was re-nominated July 31. Bogden would replace Gregory Brower. Read more about Bogden here.

-Dennis Burke (Arizona): Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano’s senior adviser on border security and law enforcement was nominated July 14. Burke would replace Diane Humetewa, who resigned Aug. 2. Read more about Burke here.

Of the 20 Obama administration U.S. Attorney nominees so far, five have already been confirmed.