Next week is a big one for Senator Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island: He must decide whether he’s going to run for re-election as a Republican or as an independent. The deadline is 4 pm on Wednesday — almost exactly a week from right now. If Chafee doesn’t believe he can win the GOP primary against challenger Steven Laffey, he may decide to forgo the whole thing and create a three-way race between himself, Laffey, and presumptive Democratic nominee Sheldon Whitehouse. This would create an interesting dilemma for Elizabeth Dole and the NRSC, which has already pumped a lot of cash into Chafee’s re-election: Would they still support a guy who doesn’t want to compete for their own party’s nod?Under Rhode Island law, Chafee wouldn’t actually have to drop his formal Republican affiliation: He could still say that he’s a member of the party, but that he’s not seeking its nomination. This may not pass the smell test, but since when has Chafee ever been required by Washington’s GOP establishment to pass the smell test?