| Elections in Rhode Island |
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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.
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The 1998 Providence, Rhode Island mayoral election was held on November 3, 1998. It saw the reelection of Buddy Cianci to sixth overall, and third consecutive, term. Cianci ran unchallenged.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Buddy Cianci | 23,746 | 96.84 | |
| Write-in | Others | 774 | 3.16 | |
| Total votes | 24,520 | 100 | ||
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The 2002 Providence, Rhode Island mayoral election was held on November 5, 2002. It saw the election of Democratic nominee David Cicilline in a landslide victory.
Cicilline wisas openly gay. After Cicilline took office, Providence became largest city in the United States at the time to have had an openly LGBTQ mayor (a distinction which had, beforehand, belonged to Tempe, Arizona since its election of Neil Giuliano). [2] [3]
The Democratic Party held its primary election on September 10, 2002. [4]
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | David Cicilline | David Igliozzi | Kevin McKenna | Joseph R. Paolino Jr. | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [4] | ± 4.5% | 50% | 10% | 4% | 32% | 4% |
David Ciciline and Kevin McKenna launched their campaigns prior to the June conviction of incumbent mayor Buddy Cianci, and criticized the disgraced mayor. [4] Paolino and Igliozzi launched their candidacies after Cianci's conviction, and did not openly criticize Cianci. [4] Igliozzi had once worked in the city's solicitor's office during Cianci's mayoralty. [4]
Paloino pledged to revitalize blighted areas of the city by cleaning up their parks and schools, and by increasing community police officers. [4]
Ciciline also advocated for the arts, and proposed making gallery and studio space available to more residents. [4]
While Ciciline was openly gay, Paolino sought to challenge him for support of the city's gay voters. [4]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | David N. Cicilline | 14,167 | 52.09 | |
| Democratic | Joseph R. Paolino, Jr. | 9,253 | 34.02 | |
| Democratic | David V. Igliozzi | 3,047 | 11.20 | |
| Democratic | Christopher Young | 730 | 2.68 | |
| Turnout | 27,197 | 28.38 | ||
It was anticipated that the winner of the Democratic Party primary would be the race's frontrunner in the strongly Democratic city's mayoral race. [4]
The sexuality of Cecilline, vying to become the city's first openly homosexual mayor, was not a prominent issue in the campaign. Some in the gay community even criticized Cecilline, accusing him of downplaying his sexuality in order to appeal more broadly to voters. [3]
Throughout the campaign, Cecilline was a strong leader in polls. [3]
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | David Cicilline (D) | Greg Gerritt (G) | Dave Talan (R) | Christopher Young (i) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown University [8] | September 14–22, 2002 | 506 LV | ± 4% | 70% | 2% | 4% | 1% | 23% |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | David N. Cicilline | 29,843 | 83.83 | |
| Republican | David B. Talan | 3,453 | 9.70 | |
| Green | Greg Gerritt | 1,371 | 3.85 | |
| Independent | Christopher F. Young | 931 | 2.62 | |
| Total votes | 35,598 | 100 | ||
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The 2006 Providence, Rhode Island mayoral election was held on November 7, 2006. It saw the reelection of incumbent Democrat David Cicilline.
The Democratic Party's primary election was held on September 12, 2006. [10]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | David N. Cicilline (incumbent) | 11,849 | 73.95 | |
| Democratic | Christopher F. Young | 4,175 | 26.06 | |
| Total votes | 16,024 | 100 | ||
Cicilline faced Republican nominee Daniel S. Harrop III, who had previously run for state house in 2002 as a Libertarian and in 2004 as a Republican.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | David N. Cicilline (incumbent) | 30,835 | 83.44 | |
| Republican | Daniel S. Harrop III | 6,119 | 16.56 | |
| Total votes | 36,954 | 100 | ||
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The 2010 Providence, Rhode Island mayoral election was held on November 2, 2010. The election saw the election of Angel Taveras.
Taveras became the first Hispanic mayor of the city and the third elected and fourth serving Dominican-American mayor in the United States. [12]
Incumbent David Cicilline did not seek reelection, instead opting to run in the coinciding election for Rhode Island's 1st congressional district. Cicilline was eligible to seek reelection to a third consecutive term as mayor, as term limits passed in 2006 (which limited mayors to two consecutive terms) would not go into effect until the following year. [13]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Angel Taveras | 11,897 | 49.1% | |
| Democratic | John J. Lombardi | 7,050 | 29.1% | |
| Democratic | Steven M. Costantino | 4,867 | 20.1% | |
| Democratic | Christopher Young | 392 | 1.6% | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Angel Taveras | 27,528 | 82.1% | |
| Independent | Jonathan P. Scott | 6,006 | 17.9% | |
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The 2014 Providence, Rhode Island mayoral election was held on November 4, 2014. The election saw the election of Jorge Elorza.
Incumbent Angel Taveras did not seek reelection, and instead (unsuccessfully) sought the Democratic nomination in the coinciding Rhode Island gubernatorial election.
The Democratic primary was held on September 9, 2014.
Despite still appearing on the ballot, Brett Smiley had withdrawn and endorsed Elorza before the primary was held. [16]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jorge Elorza | 11,051 | 48.7% | |
| Democratic | Michael A. Solomon | 9,870 | 43.5% | |
| Democratic | Christopher F. Young | 1,049 | 4.6% | |
| Democratic | Brett Smiley | 745 | 3.3% | |
The election pinned Democratic primary winner Jorge Elorza against former mayor Buddy Cianci, who was running as an independent, and Republican Daniel S. Harrop.
Elorza was endorsed by United States President Barack Obama. [18]
On July 14, 2014, businessman Lorne Adrian withdrew his independent candidacy. [19]
Independent candidate Jeffrey E. Lemire failed to get his name on the ballot. [20]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jorge O. Elorza | 20,027 | 52.1% | |
| Independent | Vincent A. Cianci, Jr. | 17,306 | 45.0% | |
| Republican | Daniel S. Harrop | 1,049 | 2.6% | |
| Write-in | Write-in | 88 | 0.2% | |
| Total votes | 38,470 | |||
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The 2018 Providence, Rhode Island mayoral election was held on November 6, 2018. The election saw the reelection of Jorge Elorza.
On September 12, 2018, incumbent mayor Jorge Elorza won renomination by the Democratic Party, defeating challengers Kobi Dennis and Robert DeRobbio. [22]
Elorza had been endorsed by the party organization ahead of the primary. [23]
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Lorne Adrian | Kobi Dennis | Robert DeRobbio | Jorge Elorza | John Lombardi | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Zogby Strategies [24] | April 4–8, 2019 | 424 | ± 5% | 6.5% | 8.3% | 5.4% | 35.9% | 18.3% | 8.2% | 17.3% |
| – | – | – | 45.8% | 33.3% | – | – |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jorge O. Elorza (incumbent) | 13,363 | 57.4% | |
| Democratic | Kobi Jason Dennis | 5,425 | 23.3% | |
| Democratic | Robert A. DeRobbio | 4,493 | 19.3% | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jorge O. Elorza (incumbent) | 26,935 | 63.6% | |
| Independent | Dianne S. Witman | 14,016 | 33.1% | |
| Independent | Jeffrey E. Lemire | 1,172 | 2.8% | |
| Write-in | 212 | 0.5% | ||
| Total votes | 42,335 | 100 | ||
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The 2022 Providence, Rhode Island mayoral election was held on November 8, 2022.
Since Providence limits mayors to two consecutive terms, [13] incumbent mayor Jorge Elorza, a Democrat, was term-limited and thus could not run for reelection to a third consecutive term in office. [26]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Brett Smiley | 9,025 | 41.84 | |
| Democratic | Gonzalo Cuervo | 7,905 | 35.64 | |
| Democratic | Nirva LaFortune | 4,643 | 21.52 | |
| Total votes | 21,573 | 100.0% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Brett Smiley | |||
| Total votes | 100.0% | |||
Vincent Albert "Buddy" Cianci, Jr. was an American politician, attorney, radio talk show host, and political commentator 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.
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.
Bristol Fourth of July Parade, or Bristol Fourth of July Celebration, founded in 1785, is a nationally known Fourth of July parade in Bristol, Rhode Island. The parade is part of the oldest Independence Day celebration in the United States of America.
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The 2010 congressional elections in Rhode Island were held on November 2, 2010, and determined who would represent Rhode Island in the United States House of Representatives. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; the elected served in the 112th Congress from January 3, 2011, until January 3, 2013.
Nicholas A. Mattiello is an American politician and Democratic former member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives, who represented the 15th District from 2007 to 2021. He served as the Speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives from March 25, 2014 to 2021. In 2020, he was defeated in an upset by Republican Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung, the wife of Cranston mayor Allan Fung.
Angel Taveras is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 37th mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, from 2011 to 2015. Taveras was the first Hispanic mayor of the city and the third elected and fourth serving Dominican-American mayor in the United States.
The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Rhode Island were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, to elect the two U.S. representatives from the state of Rhode Island, apportioned according to the 2010 United States census. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial presidential election and an election to the U.S. Senate. Primary elections were held on September 11, 2012.
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A general election was held in the U.S. state of Rhode Island on November 4, 2014. All of Rhode Island's executive officers went up for election as well as a United States Senate seat and both of Rhode Island's two seats in the United States House of Representatives. Primary elections were held on September 9, 2014.
Jorge O. Elorza is an American law professor who served as the mayor of Providence, Rhode Island from 2015 until 2023. He defeated former mayor Buddy Cianci in the 2014 mayoral election and on January 5, 2015, was sworn in as mayor of the city.
Jonathan Aaron Regunberg is an American lawyer and progressive politician who served as the member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives for the 4th district from 2015 to 2019. He was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor of Rhode Island in 2018. He was a candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2023 special election for Rhode Island's 1st congressional district.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Brett P. Smiley is an American politician from Rhode Island. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the mayor of Providence, Rhode Island.
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The 2023 Rhode Island's 1st congressional district special election was held on November 7, 2023. The seat became vacant following incumbent Democratic representative David Cicilline's resignation on May 31, 2023, to become the president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation. This was the first congressional special election in Rhode Island since the 1967 2nd district special election and the first special election in the 1st district since 1935.
