Since
the Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
,
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It 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 ...
politics have been dominated by the
Rhode Island Democratic Party
The Rhode Island Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Joseph McNamara is the chair of the party. The party has dominated politics in Rhode Island for the past five decades.
Democratic Pa ...
, and the state is considered part of the Democrats' "Blue Wall." Democrats have won all but four presidential elections since 1928, with the exceptions being 1952, 1956, 1972, and 1984. The
Rhode Island Republican Party
The Rhode Island Republican Party is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Rhode Island.
Elected officials Members of Congress U.S. Senate
* None
Both of Rhode Island's U.S. Senate seats have been held by Democrats since 20 ...
, although virtually non-existent in the
Rhode Island General Assembly
The State of Rhode Island General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. A bicameral body, it is composed of the lower Rhode Island House of Representatives with 75 representatives, and the upper Rhode Island Se ...
, has remained competitive in gubernatorial elections, having won one as recently as 2006. Until 2014, Democrats did not win a gubernatorial election in the state since 1992, and it was not until 2018 that they won one by double digits. The
Rhode Island General Assembly
The State of Rhode Island General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. A bicameral body, it is composed of the lower Rhode Island House of Representatives with 75 representatives, and the upper Rhode Island Se ...
has continuously been under Democratic control since 1959.
Democrats hold all statewide and congressional seats including Governor
Daniel McKee, Lt. Governor
Sabina Matos
Sabina Matos (born February 13, 1974) is a Dominican-American politician serving as the 70th lieutenant governor of Rhode Island since April 2021. Sabina Matos is the first Afro-Latina lieutenant governor and the first Dominican-American to hold ...
, House Speaker
K. Joseph Shekarchi, Senate President
Dominick Ruggerio, U.S. Representatives
David Cicilline
David Nicola Cicilline (; born July 15, 1961) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the 36th mayor of Providence from 2003 to 2011, the first openly ...
and
Seth Magaziner
Seth Michael Magaziner (born July 22, 1983) is an American investment professional and politician who is the U.S. representative for . He served as the 31st General Treasurer of Rhode Island from 2015 until 2023. A member of the Democratic Part ...
, U.S. Senators
Jack Reed and
Sheldon Whitehouse
Sheldon Whitehouse (born October 20, 1955) 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 a United States Attorney from 1993 to 1998 ...
, Secretary of State
Gregg Amore
Gregg Amore (born October 28, 1966) is an American politician currently serving as the Secretary of State of Rhode Island.
Education
Amore earned his bachelor's degree in history from Providence College and his Master of Public Policy from Ne ...
, General Treasurer
James Diossa
James A. Diossa (born 1985) is an American politician from Rhode Island. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he is the General Treasurer of Rhode Island, Rhode Island General Treasurer. He served as a member of th ...
, and Senate Majority Leader
Michael McCaffrey.
In a 2020 study, Rhode Island was ranked as the 19th easiest state for citizens to vote in.
History
Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists (1776–1820)
Rhode Island declared independence from the
British Empire
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...
on May 4, 1776, two months before the
U.S. Declaration of Independence
The United States Declaration of Independence, formally The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen States of America, is the pronouncement and founding document adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting at Pennsylvania State House (l ...
was ratified.
However, despite this eagerness for independence,
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It 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 ...
was also a stronghold for
Anti-Federalism
Anti-Federalism was a late-18th century political movement that opposed the creation of a stronger U.S. federal government and which later opposed the ratification of the 1787 Constitution. The previous constitution, called the Articles of Conf ...
through the
Country Party, which was widely popular among rural areas of Rhode Island and dominated the
Rhode Island General Assembly
The State of Rhode Island General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. A bicameral body, it is composed of the lower Rhode Island House of Representatives with 75 representatives, and the upper Rhode Island Se ...
from 1786 to 1790. The Country Party's dominance prevented ratification of the Federalist
U.S. Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the nation ...
, and the state had even refused to send any delegation to the
1787 Constitutional Convention that wrote it. Father of the Constitution
James Madison
James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for h ...
described Rhode Island as ruled by "wickedness and folly" in which "All sense of character as well as of right have been obliterated." After the insurance of the inclusion of a
bill of rights
A bill of rights, sometimes called a declaration of rights or a charter of rights, is a list of the most important rights to the citizens of a country. The purpose is to protect those rights against infringement from public officials and pr ...
, however, support grew for the Constitution in Rhode Island. Rhode Island became the last of the original 13 states to ratify the Constitution in 1790 by only 2 votes, after Gov.
John Collins supported it and several remaining Anti-Federalists boycotted the ratifying convention.
After ratification, many Anti-Federalists remained with the Country Party or joined
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...
's
Anti-Administration faction, which eventually became the
Democratic-Republican Party
The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the earl ...
. Rhode Island's first 2 governors after ratification (Anti-Federalist leader
Arthur Fenner and
Henry Smith) were both nominees of the Country Party.
Meanwhile, one of Rhode Island's first 2 senators,
Joseph Stanton Jr., was a nominee of the Anti-Administration Party.
Despite the Anti-Federalist views during the 1780s, the
Federalist Party eventually became the dominant party in Rhode Island. Rhode Island gave its electoral votes in most Presidential elections to the Federalist candidate during this era. Meanwhile, Federalist Senator
William Bradford became the 1st U.S. Senator from Rhode Island to serve as
President pro tempore of the United States Senate during the
5th Congress.
While the Federalist Party is generally considered to have died after the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...
, Rhode Island still had Federalists in the
U.S. Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washin ...
as late as 1820, and Federalist Governor
William Jones was not defeated by a Democratic-Republican candidate until
Nehemiah R. Knight
Nehemiah Rice Knight (December 31, 1780April 18, 1854) was Governor of Rhode Island and United States Senator from Rhode Island.
Born in Cranston, Rhode Island, Cranston, he attended the common schools. In 1802 he was a member of the Rhode Isla ...
was elected in 1816.
Democratic-Republican Era (1820s)
In the 1820s, Rhode Island, like the rest of the union, was largely dominated by the
Democratic-Republican Party
The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the earl ...
. Knight,
William C. Gibbs, and
James Fenner
James Fenner (January 22, 1771April 17, 1846) was an American politician who served as a United States Senator as well as the 7th, 11th and 17th Governor of Rhode Island (on three occasions). He was the son of Arthur Fenner, the fourth governor ...
(son of former Governor
Arthur Fenner) were all elected Governors of Rhode Island during this time. After the party split into
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...
's
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
and the opposition
National Republican Party, Rhode Island was generally opposed to Jackson's policies and supportive of the Federalist-inspired policies of National Republican leaders
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, and diarist who served as the sixth president of the United States, from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States ...
and
Henry Clay, supporting the former in the hotly contested Presidential elections of
1824 and
1828
Events
January–March
* January 4 – Jean Baptiste Gay, vicomte de Martignac succeeds the Comte de Villèle, as Prime Minister of France.
* January 8 – The Democratic Party of the United States is organized.
* January 22 – Arth ...
.
Many of these "Anti-Jacksonians" or "Adams Men", such as
Asher Robbins and former Governor
Nehemiah R. Knight
Nehemiah Rice Knight (December 31, 1780April 18, 1854) was Governor of Rhode Island and United States Senator from Rhode Island.
Born in Cranston, Rhode Island, Cranston, he attended the common schools. In 1802 he was a member of the Rhode Isla ...
,
represented the state in Congress before the formation of the
Whig Party in 1833.
Whig Era (1833–1850)
Rhode Island Congressmen were almost exclusively Whigs during the 1830s and early 1840s. Whigs
Lemuel H. Arnold,
Elisha Harris,
Henry B. Anthony, and
William W. Hoppin were also Governors of Rhode Island during this time. However, Democrats
John Brown Francis and
William Sprague III
William Sprague, also known as William III or William Sprague III (November 3, 1799October 19, 1856), was a politician and industrialist from the U.S. state of Rhode Island, serving as the 14th Governor, a U.S. Representative and a U.S. Senator. ...
served for most of the 1830s.
Rhode Island's electoral votes also backed the Presidential candidacies of Whig leaders
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...
in
1840
Events
January–March
* January 3 – One of the predecessor papers of the ''Herald Sun'' of Melbourne, Australia, ''The Port Phillip Herald'', is founded.
* January 10 – Uniform Penny Post is introduced in the United Kingdom.
* Janu ...
,
Henry Clay in
1844,
and
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military leader who served as the 12th president of the United States from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to th ...
in
1848
1848 is historically famous for the wave of revolutions, a series of widespread struggles for more liberal governments, which broke out from Brazil to Hungary; although most failed in their immediate aims, they significantly altered the polit ...
.
Dorr Rebellion (1840–1842)
In 1841, Rhode Island was the last state to still require ownership of property to vote in its elections, as it was still governed by the provisions of its original colonial charter of 1663, which restricted voting rights to landowning white men and their eldest sons. About 60% of Rhode Island adult men were ineligible to vote due to these restrictions by 1840. Political activist
Thomas Wilson Dorr
Thomas Wilson Dorr (November 5, 1805December 27, 1854), was an American politician and reformer in Rhode Island, best known for leading the Dorr Rebellion.
Early life, family, and education
Thomas Wilson Dorr was born in Providence, Rhode Isla ...
was the leader of a group known as the Rhode Island Suffrage Association (or "Dorrites")
that attempted to amend or replace the charter with a new constitution extending suffrage to all white men, but efforts to do so consistently failed in the
Rhode Island General Assembly
The State of Rhode Island General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. A bicameral body, it is composed of the lower Rhode Island House of Representatives with 75 representatives, and the upper Rhode Island Se ...
.
After failed attempts to change the system from within, the Dorrites held a convention for the newly formed "People's Party", which drafted a new constitution that enfranchised all white men after one year's residence.
Meanwhile, General Assembly members who supported the charter, known as "Charterites" or the "
Law and Order Party", drafted a constitution that made concessions to the People's Party, but two referendums held later that year determined that a majority of voters approved of the People's Party constitution, but disapproved of the Law and Order Party's constitution by a narrow margin.
However, Governor
Samuel Ward King
Samuel Ward King (May 23, 1786 – January 20, 1851) was the 15th Governor of Rhode Island from 1839 to 1843.
King was born in Johnston, Providence County, Rhode Island, to William Borden King and Welthian Walton.
He attended Brown Universit ...
, a Charterite, refused to recognize the results of the referendums, resulting in the holding of two elections that April: one set up by the People's Party, which elected Dorr as governor, and another set up by the Law and Order Party, which re-elected King.
King and Dorr essentially served as governors concurrently after this election. King declared
martial law
Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory.
Use
Marti ...
and attempted to persuade U.S. President
John Tyler
John Tyler (March 29, 1790 – January 18, 1862) was the tenth president of the United States, serving from 1841 to 1845, after briefly holding office as the tenth vice president in 1841. He was elected vice president on the 1840 Whig tick ...
to send federal soldiers to Rhode Island to resolve the issue, but Tyler, feeling that the threat of violence was "hourly diminishing", refused.
Without the threat of federal interference, Dorr's government mounted an attack upon the Providence Arsenal on May 19, 1842. Charterite defenders, including Dorr's own father and uncle, suppressed the attack and the Dorrites retreated to the village of
Chepachet to hold another People's Convention. Charterites cut off the retreat in the city of
Woonsocket
Woonsocket ( ), is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 43,240 at the 2020 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state. Being Rhode Island's northernmost city, Woonsocket lies directly south of ...
, causing Dorr's government to fall.
Despite their victory, the Charterite General Assembly ultimately drafted and adopted the current
Rhode Island Constitution
The Constitution of the State of Rhode Island is a document describing the structure and function of the government of the U.S. State of Rhode Island.
1842 Constitution Constitutional Convention
Prior to 1842, Rhode Island was still governed by ...
in September 1842, which extended voting to all free men (of any race) who owned property or could pay a $1
poll tax. Although the former members of the People's Party attempted to oppose the Law and Order Party's candidates in the 1843 elections, the Law and Order Party took all major offices in these elections, and their new constitution was adopted in May. Encouraged by the new constitution's expanded suffrage, Dorr returned to the state, but was captured by King and tried and convicted of treason. However, public protests resulted in Dorr's pardon by Governor
James Fenner
James Fenner (January 22, 1771April 17, 1846) was an American politician who served as a United States Senator as well as the 7th, 11th and 17th Governor of Rhode Island (on three occasions). He was the son of Arthur Fenner, the fourth governor ...
in 1845.
Law and Order Party and Whig Party co-dominance (1840s)
After the Dorr Rebellion ended, the Law and Order Party shared power with the Whigs for the remainder of the 1840s, until the former dissolved and the latter fell from power in Rhode Island. The Law and Order Party's
James Fenner
James Fenner (January 22, 1771April 17, 1846) was an American politician who served as a United States Senator as well as the 7th, 11th and 17th Governor of Rhode Island (on three occasions). He was the son of Arthur Fenner, the fourth governor ...
was the first governor elected under the
Rhode Island Constitution
The Constitution of the State of Rhode Island is a document describing the structure and function of the government of the U.S. State of Rhode Island.
1842 Constitution Constitutional Convention
Prior to 1842, Rhode Island was still governed by ...
. Fenner had previously served as governor on two other occasions as a member of the
Democratic-Republican Party
The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the earl ...
.
Byron Diman
Byron Diman (August 5, 1795 – August 1, 1865) was an American politician who served as 19th Governor of Rhode Island.
Diman was born in Bristol, Rhode Island, on August 5, 1795. He worked in a counting-house for over two decades. He was then ...
also represented the Law and Order Party as governor.
In 1843, Rhode Island was given a
2nd Congressional district. The Law and Order Party's
Elisha R. Potter was the first Congressman from this district. The 2nd district also elected
Benjamin Babock Thurston to
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
in 1847; Thurston was the first Democrat elected to Congress from Rhode Island.
In the late 1840s and early 1850s, the nationally declining Whig Party became diminished in Rhode Island, while the Law and Order Party dissolved, and most of its members returned to their pre-Dorr Rebellion allegiances to the Whigs or Democrats.
Republican Era (1850s–1930s)
After the demise of the Rhode Island
Whigs, the
Know Nothing and
Democratic Parties were briefly co-dominant parties in Rhode Island. From 1851 to 1853, Rhode Island had an all-Democrat set of executive offices for the first time, led by Governor
Philip Allen. In the same year,
Charles Tillinghast James
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was " ...
became Rhode Island's first Democratic Senator. Meanwhile,
Benjamin Babock Thurston returned to his Congressional seat as a Know-Nothing, and
William W. Hoppin was Rhode Island's only Know-Nothing governor in 1854, serving in the office until 1856.
In the late 1850s, however, much of the remaining Know-Nothings and Whigs nationally were absorbed by the
Republican Party,
which would become the dominant party in Rhode Island until the
Great Depression of the 1930s. Republican dominance in Rhode Island began with the elections of several Republicans to major offices in 1857, such as Governor
Elisha Dyer
Elisha Dyer (July 20, 1811 – May 17, 1890) was an American politician and the 25th Governor of Rhode Island.
Early life
Dyer was born in Providence, Rhode Island on July 20, 1811 to an old New England family which traced its Dyer ancestry ba ...
,
and Sen.
James F. Simmons.
The first 14 Republican Party Presidential candidates, beginning with
John C. Frémont in
1856
Events
January–March
* January 8 – Borax deposits are discovered in large quantities by John Veatch in California.
* January 23 – American paddle steamer SS ''Pacific'' leaves Liverpool (England) for a transatlantic voya ...
, won Rhode Island's electoral votes during this era.
The
Constitutional Union Party became strong in Rhode Island during the early 1860s. Across the country, many conservative former Whigs and Know-Nothings, unsatisfied with the secessionists in the national Democratic Party, became Unionists, and nominated Unionist candidates at their state conventions.
Both Rhode Island representatives to the
37th U.S. House of Representatives were Unionists.
During the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
, Rhode Island was the first state to respond to President
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
's 1861 request for troops from the individual Union states. Governor
William Sprague IV
William Sprague IV (September 12, 1830September 11, 1915) was the 27th Governor of Rhode Island from 1860 to 1863, and U.S. Senator from 1863 to 1875. He participated in the First Battle of Bull Run during the American Civil War while he was a ...
(nephew of former Governor
William Sprague III
William Sprague, also known as William III or William Sprague III (November 3, 1799October 19, 1856), was a politician and industrialist from the U.S. state of Rhode Island, serving as the 14th Governor, a U.S. Representative and a U.S. Senator. ...
) believed that the war would be over rather quickly and easily in the Union's favor, and chose to lead the Rhode Island brigade to Virginia to oversee what he expected to be a Union victory.
There, he participated in the
First Battle of Bull Run
The First Battle of Bull Run (the name used by Union forces), also known as the Battle of First Manassas and, despite the
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...
victory, was offered a commission as Brigadier General, which he refused, opting to remain Governor of Rhode Island. Sprague went on to serve 2 six-year terms as a Senator from Rhode Island after retiring from the Governor's post in 1863.
Burnside also became a Governor of Rhode Island from 1866 to 1869, and then replaced Sprague in the
U.S. Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
in 1875, serving there until his death in 1881.
From 1863 to 1887, every governor of and U.S. Congressman from Rhode Island was a member of the Republican Party.
During this time, Senator
Henry B. Anthony served as
President pro tempore of the United States Senate,
the 2nd Rhode Island Senator to do so, after
William Bradford in 1797.
Also during this time, Governor
Henry Lippitt
Henry Lippitt (October 9, 1818 – June 5, 1891) was the 33rd Governor of Rhode Island from 1875 to 1877.
Family
Lippitt was the son of Warren Lippitt and Eliza (Seamans) Lippitt, married to Mary Ann Balch. Lippitt was the father of Charles Wa ...
became the first in a familial line of several prominent Rhode Island politicians, dating to Governor
Lincoln Chafee
Lincoln Davenport Chafee ( ; born March 26, 1953) 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 m ...
, and including one of Lippitt's sons, Sen.
Henry F. Lippitt
Henry Frederick Lippitt (October 12, 1856December 28, 1933) was a member of the prominent Lippitt family, which made its fortune in the textile business, and served as United States Senator from Rhode Island.
Biography
Born in Providence on ...
, who was a brother-in-law of U.S. president and Chief Justice
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...
.
Also, the administration of three-term Governor
Alfred H. Littlefield officially established the current boundary line of Rhode Island and
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
, and authorized the establishment of the state's first industrial school for impoverished children, in an effort to update the state's education system to keep in time with manufacturing developments.
In 1887, some Democratic power returned when prominent Democratic businessman
John W. Davis
John William Davis (April 13, 1873 – March 24, 1955) was an American politician, diplomat and lawyer. He served under President Woodrow Wilson as the Solicitor General of the United States and the United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom ...
was elected governor over incumbent Republican
George P. Wetmore
George Peabody Wetmore (August 2, 1846September 11, 1921) was an American politician who was the 37th Governor of, and a Senator from, Rhode Island.
Early life
George Peabody Wetmore was born in London, England, during a visit of his parents ...
, with whom many in both parties were dissatisfied.
During Davis' first one-year term, a
women's suffrage
Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...
amendment to the State Constitution was passed by the state legislature but not accepted by the state's male voters in an April 6, 1887 referendum.
Also during Davis' first term, the current boundary line with
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...
was established, revised election laws were passed which made
voter fraud
Electoral fraud, sometimes referred to as election manipulation, voter fraud or vote rigging, involves illegal interference with the process of an election, either by increasing the vote share of a favored candidate, depressing the vote share of ...
more difficult, and orphanages were regulated by the state. However, Davis was defeated in his 1888 and 1889 gubernatorial bids, but Davis returned to the governorship for another one-year term in 1890.
Another popular Democrat during Rhode Island's Republican Era was
Lucius F.C. Garvin, a longtime General Assembly member from
Cumberland and eventual governor, serving two one-year terms. However, a Republican-controlled legislature prevented most of Garvin's reform-minded programs from passing.
Garvin was considered for the Democratic nomination for U.S. president in 1904.
In the late 19th century and early 20th century, there was much controversy in the state political system surrounding Republican leader and
lobbyist
In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...
Charles R. Brayton
Charles Ray Brayton (August 16, 1840 – September 23, 1910) was an American politician and lobbyist. A Republican, ''The New York Times'' called him the "Blind Boss of Rhode Island," drawing parallels with New York City's disgraced political bo ...
, who generally supported the interests of Republican senators
Henry B. Anthony and
Nelson W. Aldrich
Nelson Wilmarth Aldrich (/ ˈɑldɹɪt͡ʃ/; November 6, 1841 – April 16, 1915) was a prominent American politician and a leader of the Republican Party in the United States Senate, where he represented Rhode Island from 1881 to 1911. By the 1 ...
. As both a
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
veteran and a member of the state's "economic elite", Brayton was easily supported by the majority of Rhode Islanders, and is credited with helping many candidates into office, including Sen. Aldrich, who would later become one of the most prominent U.S. Senators.
Brayton rose to political prominence in Rhode Island in the 1890s as a chairman of the Republican State Committee, and eventually as a member of the
Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. Political action committee, political committee that assists the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republi ...
. Brayton campaigned heavily for the passage of laws shifting gubernatorial powers, including almost all appointment powers, to the
State Senate
A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...
, which was reliably a Republican majority. The "Brayton Act" was a major hindrance to Democratic reformers such as Governor Garvin after its passage, and would continue to hinder gubernatorial power until Democrats gained a State Senate majority in 1935.
Brayton also had a political rivalry with
James H. Higgins, another Democratic governor during Rhode Island's Republican Era. Higgins greatly opposed Brayton's lobbying, claiming Brayton was paid by railroad and telephone companies to lobby their special interests.
Brayton did not deny this, but said that he never lobbied against the interests of the Republican Party to favor a corporation's interest.
In 1912, President Taft's reelection campaign was the first Republican campaign to not receive Rhode Island's electoral votes, despite the fact that he was a 5th cousin of former Governor Royal C. Taft. Democrat
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
, who won the
election
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...
, was the first Democrat to receive Rhode Island's electoral votes since
Franklin Pierce in 1852, before the founding of the Republican Party.
Also in 1912, the Republican ticket for executive offices, led by
Aram J. Pothier, who was also the first Rhode Island governor of foreign birth (born in
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
), won the first 2-year executive terms, having previously served four 1-year terms.
Upon the beginning of the
Great Depression in 1929, Republican
Norman S. Case was Governor of Rhode Island. Although he was reelected in 1930, the Depression worsened and Republican popularity lessened, and
Theodore F. Green
Theodore Francis Green (October 2, 1867May 19, 1966) was an American politician from Rhode Island. A Democrat, Green served as the 57th Governor of Rhode Island (1933–1937) and in the United States Senate (1937–1961). He was a wealthy ari ...
summarily defeated Case in 1932. The Depression is generally cited as the primary reason for the fall of Republicans in Rhode Island, transitioning to a period of Democratic dominance which continues today.
Democratic Era (1930s–present)
In the 1932 and 1934 elections, Democrats officially swept Republicans out of power in the state.
Theodore F. Green
Theodore Francis Green (October 2, 1867May 19, 1966) was an American politician from Rhode Island. A Democrat, Green served as the 57th Governor of Rhode Island (1933–1937) and in the United States Senate (1937–1961). He was a wealthy ari ...
easily defeated Republican Governor
Norman S. Case in the 1932 gubernatorial election.
Democrat
Peter G. Gerry, who served 2 terms in the
U.S. Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
before the Depression, reclaimed his former seat by defeating incumbent Republican Senator
Felix Hebert.
In the
State Senate
A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...
elections in 1934, 2 seats were contested, both held by Republicans, but Democratic victories in these districts would create a Democratic Party majority in the Senate. Lt. Gov. Robert Quinn, assigned to preside over seating the newly elected State Senators, refused to seat the Republicans who had claimed re-election to those two seats. Green demanded a recount on January 1, 1935, and the recount determined that the Democratic candidates in both districts had won by narrow margins. This has become known as the "
Bloodless Revolution", as Republicans have struggled to regain power in Rhode Island since.
Republicans remained in some power throughout the 1930s, as
Charles Risk
Charles Francis Risk (August 19, 1897 – December 26, 1943) was an American lawyer and World War I veteran who served two non-consecutive terms as a U.S. Representative from Rhode Island in the 1930s and 1940s.
Early life
Born in Central F ...
served the 1st Congressional district in the
74th and
76th Congresses.
In 1938, many Republicans, led by gubernatorial candidate
William Henry Vanderbilt III
William Henry Vanderbilt III (November 24, 1901April 14, 1981) was Governor of Rhode Island and a member of the wealthy and socially prominent Vanderbilt family.
Early life
William Henry Vanderbilt III was born in New York City on November 24, ...
, was elected into office, including retaking control of both houses of the General Assembly.
However, in 1939, Vanderbilt's support was seriously weakened by a
wire-tapping
Telephone tapping (also wire tapping or wiretapping in American English) is the monitoring of telephone and Internet-based conversations by a third party, often by covert means. The wire tap received its name because, historically, the monitorin ...
scandal involving a private detective he had hired to search for election fraud.
The scandal cost him his re-election chances, and many Republicans elected in 1938 were defeated by Democratic challengers in 1940;
Democrats also regained a majority in both houses of the General Assembly, and have not lost it since.
Meanwhile, many prominent Rhode Island Democrats also became nationally prominent under Democratic Presidents
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
and
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...
. The most notable of these was former Governor Green, who successfully ran for Senate in 1936, and served there until 1960, finally retiring in ill health at age 93, the oldest Congressman in history at the time.
Green was known as "the President's man", as a strong supporter of Democratic Presidents, and one of Republican President
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
's strongest Democratic supporters. Green was also a civil rights leader, working closely with then–Majority Leader
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
to pass voting rights bills, such as the
Civil Rights Act of 1957. The state's largest airport is named
T.F. Green Airport after him.
J. Howard McGrath, first a governor after defeating incumbent Vanderbilt in 1940, also went on to serve for many years in a federal capacity. McGrath was appointed
U.S. Solicitor General
The solicitor general of the United States is the fourth-highest-ranking official in the United States Department of Justice. Elizabeth Prelogar has been serving in the role since October 28, 2021.
The United States solicitor general represent ...
by Truman in October 1945, and served there for one year, before resigning to become a senator in the
80th Congress
The 80th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 194 ...
, which had Republican majorities in both houses. However, he chaired the
U.S. Senate Committee on the District of Columbia at the beginning of the Democrat-ruled
81st Congress. McGrath was also chairman of the
Democratic National Committee during this time, allowing for
racial integration of the Democrats' national headquarters and successfully managing President Truman's
1948 reelection campaign. For this, McGrath was promoted to
United States Attorney General
The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...
, until his resignation in 1952, after refusing to be investigated after suspected corruption.
With McGrath's resignation to become Solicitor-General, then–Lt. Gov.
John O. Pastore became the first Italian-American governor in U.S. history, and would later become the first Italian-American U.S. Senator. As governor, Pastore enacted Rhode Island's first sales taxes, corporate income taxes, and primary election laws. Pastore retired from his post as governor upon winning a special election to replace McGrath in the U.S. Senate, where Pastore would serve until 1976, where he was famously involved in a 1969 Senate hearing on the funding of
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
in which famous public TV host
Fred Rogers
Fred McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003), commonly known as Mister Rogers, was an American television host, author, producer, and Presbyterian minister. He was the creator, showrunner, and host of the preschool television se ...
testified successfully against President
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
's proposed PBS funding cuts.
McGrath and Pastore were two of many Democrats who served lengthy amounts of time in the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives during their time. Between 1941 and 1976, Rhode Island sent only 11 different people to the U.S. Congress, all of them Democrats, including Pastore, McGrath, and Green. Other notables included: 12-term Rep.
Aime Forand
Aime Joseph Forand (May 23, 1895 – January 18, 1972) was an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, Forand served in the United States House of Representatives for Rhode Island's 1st congressional district from 1937 to 1939 and ...
, who proposed the first bill for the program that eventually became
Medicare; Rep.
John E. Fogarty, who became a national political leader on medical research as a longtime member of the
House Appropriations Committee
The United States House Committee on Appropriations is a committee of the United States House of Representatives that is responsible for passing appropriation bills along with its Senate counterpart. The bills passed by the Appropriations Commi ...
; 14-term Rep.
Fernand St. Germain, Rep. Forand's successor, who was involved in passing legislation that would ultimately be blamed for the
savings and loan crisis of the 1980s–1990s. Back in Rhode Island itself, four-term Governor
J. Joseph Garrahy became iconic for his handling of the
Blizzard of 1978, during which Governor "Joe" kept a calm, casual, comforting demeanor while living at his
State House office for about a week to manage the crisis and maintain order. Perhaps the most notable member of the Democratic dynasty of the 1940s–1970s, though, was Sen.
Claiborne Pell
Claiborne de Borda Pell (November 22, 1918 – January 1, 2009) was an American politician and writer who served as a U.S. Senator from Rhode Island for six terms from 1961 to 1997. He was the sponsor of the 1972 bill that reformed the Basic ...
.
Best known as the father of
Pell Grants
A Pell Grant is a subsidy the U.S. federal government provides for students who need it to pay for college. Federal Pell Grants are limited to students with financial need, who have not earned their first bachelor's degree, or who are enrolled i ...
,
Claiborne Pell
Claiborne de Borda Pell (November 22, 1918 – January 1, 2009) was an American politician and writer who served as a U.S. Senator from Rhode Island for six terms from 1961 to 1997. He was the sponsor of the 1972 bill that reformed the Basic ...
was elected to the U.S. Senate after a lengthy career as a
U.S. Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other ...
diplomat, during which time he had been involved in the drafting of the
United Nations Charter
The Charter of the United Nations (UN) is the foundational treaty of the UN, an intergovernmental organization. It establishes the purposes, governing structure, and overall framework of the UN system, including its six principal organs: the ...
. Pell was first elected in 1960 upon the retirement of T. F. Green, after defeating both former Gov.
Dennis J. Roberts and former U.S. Attorney General
J. Howard McGrath in the Democratic primary election. Senator Pell was considered eccentric by D.C. politicians due to his insistence on using only public transportation and low-cost automobiles, and supposed paranormal beliefs, and was often considered the least electable politician in Washington; however, Rhode Island would ultimately reelect him to the Senate five times. Sen. Pell is best remembered as the creator of "Basic Educational Opportunity Grants" in 1973 (now known as
Pell Grants
A Pell Grant is a subsidy the U.S. federal government provides for students who need it to pay for college. Federal Pell Grants are limited to students with financial need, who have not earned their first bachelor's degree, or who are enrolled i ...
) that provide financial aid to American university students. Pell was also largely responsible for the creation of the
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...
and the
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...
, and was chairman of the
U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations for eight years later in his tenure. Having served for 36 years upon his retirement, Claiborne Pell is the longest-serving U.S. Senator in Rhode Island history.
Return of Republicans and rise of third parties (1976–present)
In his 36 years in the Senate, Claiborne Pell served alongside only two other U.S. Senators from Rhode Island: John Pastore, and
John Chafee
John Lester Hubbard Chafee ( ; October 22, 1922 – October 24, 1999) was an American politician and officer in the United States Marine Corps. A member of the Republican Party (United States), he served as the 66th Governor of Rhode Island, as ...
, the first
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
U.S. Senator from Rhode Island in 40 years, and a prominent
Rockefeller Republican
The Rockefeller Republicans were members of the Republican Party (GOP) in the 1930s–1970s who held moderate-to- liberal views on domestic issues, similar to those of Nelson Rockefeller, Governor of New York (1959–1973) and Vice President of ...
. Chafee had previously served three two-year terms as governor in the 1960s; his administration was celebrated for championing public transportation and environmental conservation, but ended in a surprise reelection loss to Democrat
Frank Licht
Frank R. Licht (March 3, 1916May 30, 1987) was an American politician and the 67th Governor of Rhode Island from 1969 to 1973, serving as the first Jewish governor in Rhode Island state history. He was also an associate justice of the Rhode Is ...
after Chafee both reversed his anti-income tax stance and had to lessen his campaign efforts due to family matters. Chafee first ran for the U.S. Senate as a challenger Sen.
Claiborne Pell
Claiborne de Borda Pell (November 22, 1918 – January 1, 2009) was an American politician and writer who served as a U.S. Senator from Rhode Island for six terms from 1961 to 1997. He was the sponsor of the 1972 bill that reformed the Basic ...
in 1972, but Pell held the seat by a result of 54–46%. However, Chafee ran again in 1976 to replace the retiring Sen.
John O. Pastore and defeated Democrat Richard Lorber 58–42%. Sen. Chafee broke with his own party on many issues, most notably on environmental issues, which Chafee made his main concern as a senator. Chafee authored the
Coastal Barrier Resources Act that designated protected coastal areas that became ineligible to government development and was also instrumental to the passages of the
Superfund program, the
Clean Water Act and the
Oil Pollution Act of 1990
The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA) (101 H.R.1465, P.L. 101-380) was passed by the 101st United States Congress and signed by President George H. W. Bush. It works to avoid oil spills from vessels and facilities by enforcing removal of spilled ...
, and later chaired the
U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Chafee was described as a moderate, but was among the most
liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
U.S. Senators on social issues during his time. Upon his death in October 1999, Chafee was posthumously awarded the
Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially merit ...
by President
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
, and his son
Lincoln Chafee
Lincoln Davenport Chafee ( ; born March 26, 1953) 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 m ...
was appointed to replace his father; the elder Chafee had already announced his plans to retire at the end of his term and the younger Chafee had already announced his plans to run to succeed him.
Meanwhile, the Chafees' tenure in the U.S. Senate corresponded to some return to Republicans holding major state offices in Rhode Island, although the Democrats always held their majority in both houses of the General Assembly. In 1984, Republican
Edward DiPrete
Edward Daniel DiPrete (born July 8, 1934) is an American Republican Party politician and convicted felon from Rhode Island. He served as the 70th Governor of Rhode Island for three two-year terms, serving from 1985 to 1991. Convicted of numerou ...
was elected after Governor Garrahy's retirement and went on to serve 3 terms as governor despite the Democrats consistently holding over 85% of Assembly seats. However, DiPrete was widely suspected of corruption (and would later do time in prison for
bribery,
extortion
Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...
, and
racketeering), and ultimately lost in a landslide to Democrat
Bruce Sundlun
Bruce George Sundlun (January 19, 1920 – July 21, 2011) was an American businessman, politician and member of the Democratic Party who served as 71st governor of Rhode Island between 1991 and 1995.
He was Rhode Island's second Jewish gove ...
in 1990, the third time that Sundlun had challenged the incumbent DiPrete. Sundlun immediately
closed 45 banks and credit unions due to the collapse of the RI Share and Deposit Indemnity Corporation (RISDIC) under DiPrete. Sundlun became a champion of improving infrastructure and tourism, working across the aisle with controversial
Providence Mayor
Buddy Cianci
Vincent Albert "Buddy" Cianci, Jr. (, ; , ; April 30, 1941 – January 28, 2016) 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 ...
(who would also later do time in prison for "racketeering conspiracy", i.e. running the city of Providence as a criminal enterprise) to support the building of or improvement of key infrastructure such as the
Rhode Island Convention Center
The Rhode Island Convention Center is an exposition center in downtown Providence, RI. Opened in 1993, it is the largest convention center in Rhode Island, with about of exhibition space, including a exhibit hall. It is connected by skybridges ...
,
Quonset Air Museum
The Quonset Air Museum was an aerospace museum located in Quonset Point Business Park in North Kingstown, Rhode Island.
The museum's collection included: missiles, aircraft and over 5000 smaller aviation artifacts. An extensive archive of magaz ...
,
T.F. Green Airport,
Providence Place Mall, and more. The work of the Cianci and Sundlun administrations launched what became known as the city of Providence's "Renaissance" period in which infrastructure, the arts, and the economy were all booming. Sundlun was the last Rhode Island governor to be elected to 2-year terms; beginning in
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson ...
, governors (and all other state offices) would be elected for 4-year terms and limited to two such terms. In a surprising upset, Gov. Sundlun lost the 1994 Democratic primary to strongly liberal State Senator
Myrth York
Myrth York (born June 7, 1946) is an American attorney and politician who served as a member of the Rhode Island Senate from 1991 to 1994. She ran unsuccessfully for governor of Rhode Island in 1994, 1998, and 2002.
Early life and education
Yo ...
, who was then defeated by Republican
Lincoln Almond
Lincoln Carter Almond (born June 16, 1936) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 72nd Governor of Rhode Island from 1995 to 2003. A member of the Republican Party, he previously was the United States Attorney for the District ...
by a slim margin of 47–44% in the general election (third-party activist
Robert J. Healey won 9%). Beginning with York's loss in 1994, Democrats would go on to lose five consecutive gubernatorial elections, despite maintaining their supermajorities in both houses of the General Assembly and Rhode Island's 4 electoral votes always going to Democratic candidates in Presidential election years during those 20 years.
Between Governor Almond and his successor, Gov.
Donald Carcieri
Donald Louis Carcieri ( ; ; born December 16, 1942) is an American politician and corporate executive who served as the 73rd Governor of Rhode Island from January 2003 to January 2011. Carcieri has worked as a manufacturing company executive, aid ...
, Republicans held the Rhode Island governorship for the longest period of time (16 years) since the 19th century. Gov. Almond prioritized health care, making significant expansions to the public children's health care program Rite Care and making Rhode Island among the states with the highest percentage of people having health insurance. Almond was also instrumental in the creation of the
Community College of 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 ...
's
Newport campus funded by a bond referendum passed with the Governor's support in 2000, and made major investments to improve and modernize the
University of Rhode Island
The University of Rhode Island (URI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States. It is the flagship public research as well as the land-grant university of the state of Rhode Isla ...
, his alma mater. When Almond was term-limited in 2002, conservative businessman
Donald Carcieri
Donald Louis Carcieri ( ; ; born December 16, 1942) is an American politician and corporate executive who served as the 73rd Governor of Rhode Island from January 2003 to January 2011. Carcieri has worked as a manufacturing company executive, aid ...
defeated party-endorsed Jim Bennett in the Republican primary and then defeated 3rd-time Democratic nominee
Myrth York
Myrth York (born June 7, 1946) is an American attorney and politician who served as a member of the Rhode Island Senate from 1991 to 1994. She ran unsuccessfully for governor of Rhode Island in 1994, 1998, and 2002.
Early life and education
Yo ...
to become Almond's successor, and was thrust into the national spotlight early in his term by
The Station nightclub fire
The Station nightclub fire occurred on the evening of February 20, 2003, in West Warwick, Rhode Island, United States, killing 100 people and injuring 230. The fire was caused by pyrotechnics set off by the tour manager of the evening's headlini ...
of February 2003. Carcieri's governorship was characterized by conflicts with the General Assembly and organized labor, as Carcieri often attacked the state government's expansive welfare programs and history of corruption but could do little to enact changes due to the Democrat-controlled Assembly's ability to override his vetoes. The Assembly also overrode Carcieri's vetoes of bills to legalize
medical marijuana
Medical cannabis, or medical marijuana (MMJ), is cannabis and cannabinoids that are prescribed by physicians for their patients. The use of cannabis as medicine has not been rigorously tested due to production and governmental restrictions ...
and make progress on
LGBT
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term ...
civil rights issues. The latter position was particularly controversial with Rhode Islanders; the year of Carcieri's first election, 2002, was also the year that Providence elected the first openly homosexual mayor of a U.S. state capital,
David Cicilline
David Nicola Cicilline (; born July 15, 1961) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the 36th mayor of Providence from 2003 to 2011, the first openly ...
, in a landslide election, and Carcieri won reelection in
2006 against Lt. Gov.
Charles J. Fogarty by only 2 percentage points.
Also in 2006, Sen.
Lincoln Chafee
Lincoln Davenport Chafee ( ; born March 26, 1953) 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 m ...
lost the seat that had been held by him or his father for 30 years. Former State Attorney General
Sheldon Whitehouse
Sheldon Whitehouse (born October 20, 1955) 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 a United States Attorney from 1993 to 1998 ...
defeated Chafee by a margin of 53.5–46.5% in an election that was part of a national swing to a Democratic majority in both houses of the U.S. Congress. Chafee, one of the most left-of-center Senators at the time, later admitted that his loss to Whitehouse was good for the country since it helped give the majority to the Democrats, and Chafee later disaffiliated from the Republican Party and announced a run for governor for 2010.
In the
2010 gubernatorial election, there were four major candidates: State Treasurer
Frank T. Caprio for the Democrats,
John Robitaille for the Republicans, former Sen.
Lincoln Chafee
Lincoln Davenport Chafee ( ; born March 26, 1953) 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 m ...
as an independent, and businessman
Ken Block, who had founded the
Moderate Party of Rhode Island
The Moderate Party of Rhode Island is the third-largest contemporary political party in the U.S. state of Rhode Island, after the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. The Moderate Party of Rhode Island gained official party status and ballo ...
in 2009 to advocate for meaningful political, economic, and educational reform. The Moderate Party's founding involved a court battle for official recognition that ended in the overturning of several laws that made it much easier for third-party and independent candidates to gain ballot access in elections beginning in 2010. The four-way race gained international attention when President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...
, to whom Chafee has been a political ally, refused to endorse a candidate, and Caprio publicly told the President of the United States to "take his endorsement and really shove it." Caprio's remark hurt his campaign such that, despite being a Democrat in a heavily Democratic state, he ultimately placed third with just 23% of the vote. Chafee won the race with 36%, just about 2.5 percentage points more than Robitaille, while Block earned 6.5%, enough to gain major party status for the Moderate Party. Chafee became Rhode Island's first independent governor since the 18th century. He also immediately proved to be a very unpopular governor, likely owing to the fact that 64% of Rhode Islanders voted for someone else. Chafee's approval ratings fell further when he proposed a variety of tax increases, and he stirred up national controversy when he stood by his decision to refer to the annual State House Christmas tree as a "Holiday Tree" in the name of
separation of church and state
The separation of church and state is a philosophical and jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the state. Conceptually, the term refers to the creation of a secular sta ...
. Among Gov. Chafee's accomplishments was passing
LGBT marriage equality.
Also in 2010, Providence Mayor
David Cicilline
David Nicola Cicilline (; born July 15, 1961) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the 36th mayor of Providence from 2003 to 2011, the first openly ...
won the
District 1 District 1 may refer to:
* I District, Turku, in Finland
* District 1, Düsseldorf, a district in Düsseldorf, Germany
* Sector 1 (Bucharest), also known as District 1, in Bucharest, Romania
* District I, Budapest in Budapest, Hungary
* Distric ...
House of Representatives seat being vacated by retiring Rep.
Patrick J. Kennedy
Patrick Joseph Kennedy II (born July 14, 1967) is an American politician and mental health advocate. From 1995 to 2011, he served as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Rhode Island's 1st congressional distr ...
, and fellow Democrat
Angel Taveras
Angel Taveras (born August 18, 1970) 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 Domin ...
won the election to succeed Cicilline as Mayor in a landslide. Shortly after taking office in 2011, Taveras discovered that he had inherited over $180 million in debt that Cicilline had largely hidden from the public through what was described by Providence City Council Finance Chairman John Igliozzi as "illusory revenue, borrowing and other tricks."
Cicilline's approval ratings just a few months after winning federal office went below 20% as the vast majority of voters blamed Cicilline for the city's financial woes,
which ultimately required controversial
austerity-like measures to prevent the city of Providence from declaring bankruptcy. Rep. Cicilline was also accused by
District 2 District 2 may refer to:
Places by country
*II District, Turku, in Finland
* District 2, Düsseldorf, Germany
*District 2, Grand Bassa County, a district in Liberia
*District 2, an electoral district of Malta
*District 2, a police district of Mal ...
Rep.
James Langevin
James R. Langevin ( ; born April 22, 1964) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2001. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the first quadriplegic to serve in Congress; Langevin was appointed to be the firs ...
of
gerrymandering
In representative democracies, gerrymandering (, originally ) is the political manipulation of electoral district boundaries with the intent to create undue advantage for a party, group, or socioeconomic class within the constituency. The m ...
by tampering with the regular redrawing of district lines to ensure his own reelection in 2012, which, despite the controversies, Cicilline did win with 53% of the vote.
In 2014, Governor Chafee, having officially joined the Democratic Party in 2013 and facing massive unpopularity and likely primary challengers, chose not to run for reelection. The primaries in both parties were hotly contested: on the Democratic side,
venture capitalist
Venture capital (often abbreviated as VC) is a form of private equity financing that is provided by venture capital firms or funds to startups, early-stage, and emerging companies that have been deemed to have high growth potential or which ha ...
and State Treasurer
Gina Raimondo
Gina Marie Raimondo (; born May 17, 1971) is an American politician, lawyer, and venture capitalist who has served as the 40th United States Secretary of Commerce since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as the 75th g ...
, perceived as a fiscally center-right frontrunner, defeated Providence Mayor
Angel Taveras
Angel Taveras (born August 18, 1970) 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 Domin ...
and
Clay Pell
Herbert Claiborne Pell IV (born November 17, 1981) is an American lawyer, military officer, and politician. He is a commander and judge advocate in the United States Coast Guard Reserve, and served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Intern ...
(grandson of the late Sen. Pell) after unions and other liberals divided almost evenly between the 2 more liberal challengers, while on the Republican side,
Moderate Party
The Moderate Party ( sv, Moderata samlingspartiet , ; M), commonly referred to as the Moderates ( ), is a liberal-conservative political party in Sweden. The party generally supports tax cuts, the free market, civil liberties and economic lib ...
founder Ken Block left his own party to run as a Republican, only to be defeated in the primary by conservative
Cranston Mayor
Allan Fung
Allan Wai-Ket Fung (born February 25, 1970) is an American attorney and politician who served as Mayor of Cranston, Rhode Island from 2009 to 2021. He was the Republican nominee for Governor of Rhode Island in the 2014 and 2018 elections as we ...
. Without Block, the Moderate Party had nominated James Spooner for governor, but when he became severely ill,
Robert J. Healey, who had previously run for governor or lieutenant governor 6 times on the platform of his own "Cool Moose Party," was announced as the substitute nominee with less than 2 months until election day. Spending less than $40 in total and campaigning mostly through
social media
Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
, a blog, and organizing charity fundraisers, Healey's "guerrilla campaign" stunned pundits and pollsters by winning 22% of the vote and even winning pluralities in a few towns. Ultimately, however, Raimondo defeated Fung to become Rhode Island's first female governor by a margin of 40–36%.
Meanwhile, the election to replace Taveras as Mayor of Providence saw former Mayor and convicted felon
Buddy Cianci
Vincent Albert "Buddy" Cianci, Jr. (, ; , ; April 30, 1941 – January 28, 2016) 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 ...
attempt to return to politics. The race was seen by many as a referendum on Cianci's legacy,
with supporters pointing to the improved infrastructure, city parks, arts scene, and other gains associated with the city's "Renaissance" during Cianci's time as Mayor, while detractors pointed to Cianci's history of violent, criminal behavior and frank, less-than-remorseful admissions to using "public power for personal reasons."
In a rare move into municipal politics, President Obama publicly endorsed Cianci's little-known Democratic challenger,
Jorge Elorza
Jorge O. Elorza (born November 24, 1976) is an American law professor and mayor of Providence, Rhode Island. He defeated former mayor Buddy Cianci in the 2014 mayoral election and on January 5, 2015, was sworn in as mayor of the city.
Early lif ...
, as did Sen.
Sheldon Whitehouse
Sheldon Whitehouse (born October 20, 1955) 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 a United States Attorney from 1993 to 1998 ...
, who, as a U.S. Attorney, oversaw the investigation that led to Cianci's racketeering charges and eventual conviction in 2002. Even the Republican nominee for Mayor, Dan Harrop, urged citizens to vote for his Democratic opponent Elorza, citing concerns that Cianci would not have the city's best interests at heart.
Ultimately, Elorza proved victorious by a margin of 53–44% over Cianci. It was the first election that Cianci has ever lost.
2020 election
Joe Biden continued the Democratic trend in Rhode Island, carrying the state by 20.8 points, or 107,564 votes.
Republican
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
carried the crucial
Catholic vote (50% to Biden's 49%), who comprised 52% of the electorate, the most of any state. Catholics were once a reliable Democratic constituency, but have become competitive in recent elections due to their social conservatism.
Issues
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It 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 comprehensive health insurance for low-income children, and a large
social safety net
The social safety net (SSN) consists of non-contributory assistance existing to improve lives of vulnerable families and individuals experiencing poverty and destitution. Examples of SSNs are previously-contributory social pensions, in-kind and fo ...
. Many urban areas still have a high rate of children in poverty. Due to an influx of residents from
Boston, Massachusetts, increasing housing costs have resulted in more homeless in Rhode Island.
Minor parties
Moderate Party
The Moderate Party of Rhode Island is the third-largest contemporary
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or p ...
in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It 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 ...
, after the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
and the
Republican Party. The Moderate Party of Rhode Island gained official party status and ballot access via a federal lawsuit and the gathering of 34,000 signatures on August 18, 2009.
In August 2018, Tony Jones was appointed to the North Kingstown School Committee making him the first-ever Moderate in public office.
Constitution Party
Cool Moose Party
Green parties
Libertarian Party
Natural Law Party
Reform Party
Socialist Party
Defunct parties
Country Party
Federalist Party
Democratic-Republican Party
People's Party
A party briefly created in the Rhode Island Voting Crisis, leading to the Dorr Rebellion. The party was founded by Thomas Dorr, as an alternative to the old-guard legislature which enforced strict voting restrictions.
Law and Order Party
Whig Party
Native American Party ("Know Nothings")
Constitutional Union Party ("Unionists")
Party registration
Federal representation
Rhode Island currently has 2
House districts In the 118th Congress, both of Rhode Island's seats are held by Democrats There are as follows:
*
Rhode Island's 1st congressional district
Rhode Island's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It includes all of Bristol and Newport counties, along with parts of Providence County, including most of the city of Providence.
The di ...
represented by
David Cicilline
David Nicola Cicilline (; born July 15, 1961) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the 36th mayor of Providence from 2003 to 2011, the first openly ...
(D)
*
Rhode Island's 2nd congressional district
Rhode Island's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in southern and western Rhode Island. The district is currently represented by Democrat James Langevin, who has represented the district since January 2001.
Composition
T ...
represented by
Seth Magaziner
Seth Michael Magaziner (born July 22, 1983) is an American investment professional and politician who is the U.S. representative for . He served as the 31st General Treasurer of Rhode Island from 2015 until 2023. A member of the Democratic Part ...
(D)
Rhode Island's two United States Senators are Democrats
Jack Reed and
Sheldon Whitehouse
Sheldon Whitehouse (born October 20, 1955) 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 a United States Attorney from 1993 to 1998 ...
, serving since 1997 and 2007, respectively.
Rhode Island is part of the
United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island
The United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island (in case citations, D.R.I.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Rhode Island. The District Court was created in 1790 when Rhode Island ratified th ...
in the federal judiciary. The district's cases are appealed to the Boston-based
United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
See also
*
2020 Rhode Island elections
*
Government of Rhode Island
The government of the state of Rhode Island is prescribed from a multitude of sources; the main sources are the Rhode Island Constitution, the General Laws, and executive orders. The governmental structure is modeled on the Government of the Uni ...
*
United States presidential elections in Rhode Island
Following is a table of United States presidential elections in Rhode Island, ordered by year. Since its admission to statehood in 1790, Rhode Island has participated in every U.S. presidential election.
Winners of the state are in bold. The shad ...
*
Women's suffrage in Rhode Island
Even before women's suffrage in Rhode Island efforts took off, women were fighting for equal male suffrage during the Dorr Rebellion. Women raised money for the Dorrite cause, took political action and kept members of the rebellion in exile inform ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Politics Of Rhode Island