Rhode Island is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west;Massachusetts to its north and east;and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Island Sound;and shares a small maritime border with New York,east of Long Island. Rhode Island is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous,with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020;but it has grown at every decennial count since 1790 and is the second-most densely populated state,after New Jersey. The state takes its name from the eponymous island,though nearly all its land area is on the mainland. Providence is its capital and most populous city.
Lincoln Davenport Chafee is an American politician. He was mayor of Warwick,Rhode Island,from 1993 to 1999,a United States Senator from 1999 to 2007,and the 74th Governor of Rhode Island from 2011 to 2015. He was a Democrat from 2013 to 2019;in June 2019,The Boston Globe reported that he became a Libertarian,having previously been a Republican until September 2007 and an independent and then a Democrat in the interim. He is the last non-Democrat to hold statewide and/or Congressional office in Rhode Island.
The Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) is a public community college in Rhode Island. It is the only community college in the state and the largest community college in New England. The college's primary facility is located in Warwick,with additional college buildings throughout the state.
Prostitution in Rhode Island was outlawed in 2009. On November 3,2009,Republican Governor Donald Carcieri signed into law a bill which makes the buying and selling of sexual services a crime.
Gina Marie Raimondo is an American businesswoman,lawyer,politician,and venture capitalist who has served since 2021 as the 40th United States secretary of commerce. A member of the Democratic Party,she served as the 75th governor of Rhode Island from 2015 to 2021,and was the first woman to serve in the role.
Gayle L. Goldin is an American politician and a former Democratic member of the Rhode Island Senate representing District 3 from January 2013 to August 2021. She is originally from Montreal,Canada,having immigrated to the United States at a young age.
Erin Patricia Lynch Prata is an American politician and an Associate Justice on the Rhode Island Supreme Court. She previously served in the Rhode Island Senate representing District 31 since January 2009. Lynch Prata served as Chairwoman on the Senate Committee on Judiciary,as well as a member of the Senate Committee on Rules,Government Ethics &Oversight and the Senate Committee on Special Legislation &Veterans' Affairs. She focused on issues including public education,economic development,job growth,health care and environmental protection. She was confirmed to be an Associate Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court in December 2020.
Victoria Lederberg was a justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from 1993 to 2002. Before her appointment,Lederberg was a member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives from 1974 to 1983 and the Rhode Island Senate from 1985 to 1991. In 2003,she was posthumously inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame.
Mary Susan McElroy is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island.
The 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Rhode Island were held on November 3,2020,to elect the two U.S. representatives from the state of Rhode Island,one from each of the state's two congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2020 U.S. presidential election,as well as other elections to the House of Representatives,elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections.
The 2022 Rhode Island gubernatorial election was held on November 8,2022,to elect the governor of Rhode Island. Incumbent Democratic governor Dan McKee became Rhode Island's governor on March 2,2021,when term-limited Gina Raimondo resigned following her confirmation as United States Secretary of Commerce. McKee easily won a full term on election day,defeating Republican Ashley Kalus by more than 19 percentage points.
Ana B. Quezada is an American politician and a Democratic member of the Rhode Island Senate representing District 2 (Providence) since January 2017. She is a code enforcement officer for the Providence Department of Inspection and Standards. Before that she was a social services coordinator at the John Hope Settlement House.
The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Rhode Island were held on November 8,2022,to elect the two U.S. representatives from the state of Rhode Island,one from each of the state's 2 congressional districts. The elections coincided with other elections to the House of Representatives,elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. It followed a primary election on September 13,2022.
Valarie Lawson is an American politician and a Democratic member of the Rhode Island Senate and Deputy Senate Majority Leader representing District 14 since January 2019.
Melissa Murray is an American politician and a Democratic member of the Rhode Island Senate representing District 24 since January 2019. She is the First Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance,a member of the Senate Committee on Labor,and a member of the Permanent Joint Committee on State Lottery. She was on the Woonsocket City Council for two terms from 2013 to 2018.
Elaine J. Morgan is an American politician and a Republican member of the Rhode Island Senate representing District 34 since January 2015. She was the senate minority whip from June 2019 to January 2021. She was the first woman elected to be a Hopkinton town sergeant,serving for three terms before her election.
Sabina Matos is an American politician serving as the 70th lieutenant governor of Rhode Island. Sabina Matos is the first Dominican American elected to statewide office in the United States. Matos also holds the distinction of being the first Black statewide officeholder in Rhode Island.
Cynthia M. Mendes is an American politician who formerly served as a member of the Rhode Island Senate from the 18th district. Elected in November 2020,she assumed office on January 5,2021,and left office in January 2023. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
The 2022 Rhode Island lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on November 8,2022,to elect the lieutenant governor of the state of Rhode Island. The election coincided with various other federal and state elections,including for Governor of Rhode Island. Primary elections were held on September 13. Rhode Island is one of 21 states that elects its lieutenant governor separately from its governor.
The 2022 Rhode Island State Senate elections took place on November 8,2022. Primary elections were held on September 13,2022. Rhode Island voters elected state senators in all 38 seats of the Senate. State senators serve two-year terms in the Rhode Island Senate.
