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.
Vincent Albert "Buddy" Cianci,Jr. was an American politician,attorney,radio talk show host,political commentator,and convicted felon who served as the mayor of Providence,Rhode Island from 1975 to 1984 and again from 1991 to 2002. Cianci was the longest-serving mayor of Providence,having held office for over 21 years.
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 member of the Democratic Party from 2013 to 2019;in June 2019,The Boston Globe reported that he had become a registered Libertarian,having previously been a Republican until September 2007 and an independent and then a Democrat in the interim.
David Nicola Cicilline is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Rhode Island's 1st congressional district from 2011 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party,he was the 36th mayor of Providence from 2003 to 2011,the first openly gay mayor of a U.S. state capital.
Sheldon Whitehouse is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Rhode Island since 2007. A member of the Democratic Party,he served as the United States Attorney for the District of Rhode Island from 1993 to 1998 and as the 71st attorney general of Rhode Island from 1999 to 2003.
Gordon Dennis Fox is an American attorney and politician from Providence,Rhode Island. He served formerly as the Speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives,before resigning in disgrace. A member of the Democratic Party,he was first elected to the legislature in 1992. On June 11,2015 Fox was sentenced to three years in federal prison after pleading guilty to charges including bribery,fraud,and filing a false tax return.
The Industrial Trust Building,located at 111 Westminster Street or 55 Kennedy Plaza in downtown Providence,Rhode Island,was built in 1928 as the Industrial Trust Co. Building,and was designed by the New York firm of Walker &Gillette. At 428 feet (130 m) with 26 floors,it is the tallest building in Providence and the state of Rhode Island,and the 28th tallest in New England;when it was completed it stood several stories higher than the recently finished Biltmore Hotel nearby.
Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County,it is one of the oldest cities in New England,founded in 1636 by Roger Williams,a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He named the area in honor of "God's merciful Providence" which he believed was responsible for revealing such a haven for him and his followers. The city developed as a busy port,as it is situated at the mouth of the Providence River at the head of Narragansett Bay.
Benrus is an American watchmaking and lifestyle company founded as a watch repair shop in New York City in 1921 by Romanian-American Benjamin Lazrus and his two brothers. Benrus watches were worn for decades by the U.S. military from World War II through Vietnam.
The 2012 United States Senate election in Rhode Island was on November 6,2012,alongside the presidential election,elections to the United States House of Representatives,and various state and local elections.
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.
Alex and Ani is an American retailer and producer of jewelry located in Cranston,Rhode Island.
Carolyn Rafaelian is an American-Armenian entrepreneur and businesswoman. She is the founder of the accessories and jewelry company Alex and Ani,and the owner of the Belcourt of Newport,Bar and Board Bistro in Newport,Rhode Island and Carolyn's Sakonnet Vineyards.
Kenneth J. Block is an American businessman,software engineer,and political reformer. He is the founder of the Moderate Party of Rhode Island,the state's third-largest political party,and ran as the Moderate candidate for Governor of Rhode Island in the 2010 election.
Robert E. Craven,Sr. is an American politician and a Democrat in the Rhode Island House of Representatives representing District 32 since January 1,2013. He serves as Chairman of the House Municipal Government Committee and a member of the House Judiciary Committee. Craven also serves on the R.I. Governor's Justice Reinvestment Working Group.
The 2018 Rhode Island gubernatorial election was held on November 6,2018,to elect the Governor of Rhode Island,concurrently with the election of Rhode Island's Class I U.S. Senate seat,as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states,elections to the United States House of Representatives,and various state and local elections.
Cyd McKenna is an American political operative,civil servant,author,public policy researcher and public relations consultant from Providence,Rhode Island,who was campaign manager for Buddy Cianci's 2014 mayoral campaign,and community outreach director for the 2015 campaign by the Pawtucket Red Sox ownership group to build a new stadium in Providence. Later that year she was hired by City Council President Luis Aponte to be chief of staff of the Providence City Council,and left that office after Aponte was indicted for felony embezzlement and resigned.
Elections are held in Providence,Rhode Island to elect the city's mayor. Such elections are regularly scheduled to be held in United States midterm election years.
James A. Diossa is an American politician from Rhode Island. A member of the Democratic Party,he is the Rhode Island General Treasurer. He served as a member of the city council and as mayor of Central Falls,Rhode Island,guiding the city after it declared bankruptcy.
