Deborah L. "Deb" Ruggiero (born April 2, 1958) is an American radio personality and politician from

Jamestown, Rhode Island Jamestown is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island in the United States. The population was 5,559 at the 2020 census. Jamestown is situated almost entirely on Conanicut Island, the second largest island in Narragansett Bay. It also includes the u ...

. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, she serves in the

Rhode Island House of Representatives The Rhode Island House of Representatives is the lower house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, the upper house being the Rhode Island Senate. It is composed of 75 members, elected t ...

, representing the 74th district, which contains all of Jamestown and part of Middletown. Ruggiero was first elected in November 2008 and took office on January 6, 2009.

Early life and education

Born in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

, Ruggiero went to high school in

Lincoln, Rhode Island Lincoln is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 22,529 at the 2020 census. Lincoln is located in northeastern Rhode Island, north of Providence. Lincoln is part of the Providence metropolitan statistical are ...

before attending

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

, graduating ''magna cum laude'' with a double major in English and communications.

Career

In 2008, Ruggiero challenged 28-year incumbent Bruce J. Long for the 74th district seat. Long, a Republican, was the longest-serving member of the House of Representatives and was seeking his fifteenth term. In the election held on November 4, 2008, Ruggiero defeated Long by 54% to 46%, carrying each of the district's six precincts. She was re-elected in 2010, winning 53% in a three-way race. Her Republican and Independent opponents took 31% and 16% of the vote respectively. She has spent her career in the media, working first for CBS radio in Boston, then for FOX TV and

WPRI-TV WPRI-TV (channel 12) is a television station in Providence, Rhode Island, United States, affiliated with CBS and MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which provides certain services to dual Fox/ CW affiliate WNAC-TV (channel 64) und ...

for eight years. Since 2000, she has served as director of community and business development at Citadel Radio, the owners of WPRO and

WPRO-FM WPRO-FM (92.3 MHz "92 PRO-FM") is a commercial top 40 (CHR) radio station in Providence, Rhode Island, United States, owned by Cumulus Media. The studios and offices are located in the Brine Broadcasting Center on Wampanoag Trail on the Ea ...

. Since 1992, she has also taught a class in broadcast advertising at

Providence College Providence College is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic university in Providence, Rhode Island. Founded in 1917 by the Dominican Order and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, local diocese, it offers 47 undergradua ...

. A supporter of the

Hillary Clinton 2008 presidential campaign The 2008 presidential campaign of Hillary Rodham Clinton, then junior United States senator from New York, was announced on her website on January 20, 2007. Hillary Clinton was previously the First Lady of the United States and First Lady of ...

, Ruggiero attended the

2008 Democratic National Convention The 2008 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party where it adopted its national platform and officially nominated its candidates for president and vice president. The conventi ...

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

as an alternate elector. In April 2022, Ruggiero declared her candidacy for

lieutenant governor of Rhode Island The current lieutenant governor of Rhode Island is Sabina Matos, who was sworn in on April 14, 2021, after Daniel McKee succeeded to the office of governor. The first lieutenant governor was George Brown. In Rhode Island, the lieutenant gover ...

Personal life

Ruggiero is a lesbian; her partner of over 22 years, Joyce Ioanes, died of cancer in 2007.

References

External links

Campaign websiteLegislative homepage
1958 births 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century LGBT people American politicians of Italian descent Boston College alumni Lesbian politicians LGBT state legislators in Rhode Island Living people Democratic Party members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives People from Newport County, Rhode Island Women state legislators in Rhode Island {{Rhode-Island-politician-stub