Rhode Island Democratic Party Explained

Rhode Island Democratic Party
Colorcode:	134DB1
Headquarters:	Warwick, RI
Chairperson:	Elizabeth Perik
Leader1 Title:	Governor
Leader1 Name:	Dan McKee
Leader2 Title:	Lieutenant Governor
Leader2 Name:	Sabina Matos
Leader3 Title:	Senate President
Leader3 Name:	Dominick Ruggerio
Leader4 Title:	House Speaker
Leader4 Name:	Joe Shekarchi
Membership Year:	2021
Membership:	346,320^[1]
Ideology:	Modern liberalism
National:	Democratic Party
Seats1 Title:	Seats in the U.S. Senate
Seats2 Title:	Seats in the U.S. House
Seats3 Title:	Statewide Executive Offices
Seats5 Title:	State Senate
Seats6 Title:	State House
Colors:	Blue
Website:	www.ridemocrats.org
Country:	Rhode Island

The Rhode Island Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Elizabeth Perik is the chair of the party. The party has dominated politics in Rhode Island for the past five decades.

Democratic Party dominance in Rhode Island

For nearly five decades, Rhode Island has been one of the United States' most solidly Democratic states. Since 1928, it has voted for the Republican presidential candidate only four times (Dwight Eisenhower in 1952 and 1956, Richard Nixon in 1972 and Ronald Reagan in 1984) and has elected only two Republicans (former Governor John H. Chafee and his son, Lincoln Chafee, though the younger Chafee became a Democrat during his later governorship) to the U.S. Senate since 1934. Rhode Island sent no Republicans to the U.S. House of Representatives from 1940 until 1980, when one Republican and one Democrat were elected. In 1980, Rhode Island was one of only six states to be won by incumbent president Jimmy Carter. However, Republican Edward DiPrete was elected governor in 1984 and Ronald Reagan narrowly carried the state in the 1984 presidential election. In the 2000 presidential election, Democrat Al Gore won 61% of the popular vote in the state.^[2]

An analysis of Gallup polling data shows the Democratic advantage over the Republican Party in Rhode Island voters plunged between 2008 and 2011.^[3] The Democratic advantage over the Republican Party in Rhode Island slid from 37 percentage points in 2008 to 16, according to Gallup. Rhode Island went from the most Democratic state in the country in 2008 to the 7th most Democratic in 2011.^[4]

Elected officials

U.S. Senate^[5]

Democrats have controlled both of Rhode Island's seats in the U.S. Senate since 2006:

U.S. House of Representatives^[6]

Out of the 2 seats Rhode Island is apportioned in the U.S. House of Representatives, both are held by Democrats.

!District!Member!Photo

1st
2nd

Statewide officials^[7]

Democrats control all five of the elected statewide offices:

• Governor

Dan McKee

• Lieutenant Governor

Sabina Matos

• Secretary of State

Gregg Amore

• Attorney General

Peter Neronha

• General Treasurer

James Diossa

State Legislature^[8]

• President of the Senate

Dominick J. Ruggerio

• • Senate President Pro Tempore: Hanna Gallo
  • Senate Majority Leader: Michael McCaffrey
  • Senate Majority Whip: Maryellen Goodwin
  • Senate Deputy Majority Whip: Ana Quezada
• Speaker of the House

Joe Shekarchi

• • House Speaker Pro Tempore: Brian Patrick Kennedy
  • House Majority Leader: Christopher Blazejewski
  • House Majority Whip: Katherine Kazarian

Party leadership and staff

The leadership of the Rhode Island Democratic Party, as of 2024, is as follows:

State committee officers

• Chairman: Elizabeth Perik
• 1st Vice Chairman: James Diossa

National Committee Persons

• National Committeeman: Joseph R. Paolino Jr.
• National Committeewomen: Lisa Andoscia

Staff

• Data Director: Sam Bader
• Strategic Planning Consultant: Anthony Cherry
• Compliance Consultant: Susann Della Rosa

Previous election results

2020 general election^[9]

For President!Candidate!Party!Vote %!Votes

Joseph R. Biden	Democratic	59.4	307,486
Donald J. Trump	Republican	38.6	199,922

For U.S. Senator!Candidate!Party!Vote %

John F. Reed	Democratic	66.2
Allen R. Waters	Republican	33.4

For U.S. Representative — District 1!Candidate!Party!Vote %

David N. Cicilline	Democratic	70.8
Frederick Wysocki	Independent	15.8
Jeffrey E. Lemire	Independent	12.6

For U.S. Representative — District 2!Candidate!Party!Vote %

James R. Langevin	Democratic	58.2
Robert B. Lancia	Republican	41.5

2018 general election^[10]

For U.S. Senator!Candidate!Party!Vote %

Sheldon Whitehouse	Democratic	61.4
Robert G. Flanders Jr.	Republican	38.3

For U.S. Representative — District 1!Candidate!Party!Vote %

David N. Cicilline	Democratic	66.7
Patrick J. Donovan	Republican	33.1

For U.S. Representative — District 2!Candidate!Party!Vote %

James R. Langevin	Democratic	63.5
Salvatore G. Caiozzo	Republican	36.3

2016 general election^[11]

For President!Candidate!Party!Vote %!Votes

Hillary Clinton	Democratic	54.4	252,525
Donald J. Trump	Republican	38.9	180,453

For U.S. Representative — District 1!Candidate!Party!Vote %

David N. Cicilline	Democratic	64.5
Russell Taub	Republican	35.1

For U.S. Representative — District 2!Candidate!Party!Vote %

James R. Langevin	Democratic	58.1
Rhue Reis	Republican	30.7

2014 general election^[12]

For U.S. Senator!Candidate!Party!Vote %

John F. Reed	Democratic	70.6
Mark S. Zaccaria	Republican	29.2

For U.S. Representative — District 1!Candidate!Party!Vote %

David N. Cicilline	Democratic	59.5
Cormick B. Lynch	Republican	40.2

For U.S. Representative — District 2!Candidate!Party!Vote %

James R. Langevin	Democratic	62.2
Rhue R. Reis	Republican	37.6

2008 general election^[13]

For President!Candidate!Party!Vote %

Barack Obama	Democratic	63.1
John McCain	Republican	35.2

For U.S. Senator!Candidate!Party!Vote %

John F. Reed	Democratic	73.4
Robert G. Tingle	Republican	26.6

For U.S. Representative — District 1!Candidate!Party!Vote %

Patrick J. Kennedy	Democratic	68.6
Jonathon P. Scott	Republican	24.3

For U.S. Representative — District 2 !Candidate!Party!Vote %

James R. Langevin	Democratic	70.1
Mark S. Zaccaria	Republican	29.9

2004 general election^[14]

For President!Candidate!Party!Vote %

John F. Kerry	Democratic	59.4
George W. Bush	Republican	38.6

For U.S. Representative — District 1 !Candidate!Party!Vote %

Patrick J. Kennedy	Democratic	64.1
David W. Rogers	Republican	35.8

For U.S. Representative — District 2 !Candidate!Party!Vote %

James R. Langevin	Democratic	74.5
Arthur Chuck Barton III	Republican	20.8

External links

• Rhode Island Democratic Party

Notes and References

1. Web site: Winger . Richard . March 2021 Ballot Access News Print Edition . April 1, 2021 . Ballot Access News.
2. Web site: Political parties in Rhode Island. 2021-01-23. Ballotpedia. en. 2020-11-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20201111195546/https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Rhode_Island. live.
3. Web site: Gallup: Democrats' dominance drops by half in Rhode Island. WPRI 12 Eyewitness News. 2011-11-07. 2011-09-16. https://web.archive.org/web/20110916204343/http://blogs.wpri.com/2011/08/16/gallup-democrats-dominance-drops-by-half-in-rhode-island/. live.
4. Web site: State Partisanship Shifts Toward Democratic Party in 2017. Gallup, Inc.. 2018. gallup.com. 2018-11-05. 2018-11-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20181105202757/https://news.gallup.com/poll/226556/state-partisanship-shifts-toward-democratic-party-2017.aspx. live.
5. Web site: U.S. Senate: Senators of the 117th Congress. 2021-01-23. www.senate.gov. 2021-01-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20210123003355/https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm. live.
6. Web site: Representatives house.gov. 2021-01-23. www.house.gov. 2019-06-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20190628021921/https://www.house.gov/representatives. live.
7. Web site: State of Rhode Island. Rhode Island Elected Officials. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20201108042818/https://www.ri.gov/officials/. November 8, 2020. January 23, 2021. RI.gov.
8. Web site: State of Rhode Island General Assembly. 2021-01-23. State of Rhode Island General Assembly. en-us. 2021-01-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20210114060948/http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/Pages/Default.aspx. live.
9. Web site: Rhode Island Board of Elections. November 30, 2020. 2020 General Election Results. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210115175353/https://www.ri.gov/election/results/2020/general_election/. January 15, 2021. January 23, 2020. State of Rhode Island.
10. Web site: Rhode Island Board of Elections. November 21, 2018. 2018 General Election Results. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210115175353/https://www.ri.gov/election/results/2020/general_election/. January 15, 2021. January 23, 2021. State of Rhode Island.
11. Web site: Rhode Island Board of Elections. February 27, 2017. 2016 General Election Results. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210105011925/https://www.ri.gov/election/results/2016/general_election/. January 5, 2021. January 23, 2021. State of Rhode Island.
12. Web site: Rhode Island Board of Elections. December 3, 2014. 2014 General Election Results. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20201127165134/https://www.ri.gov/election/results/2014/general_election/. November 27, 2020. January 23, 2021. State of Rhode Island.
13. Web site: Rhode Island Board of Elections. November 2008. 2008 General Election Results. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20201020104826/https://elections.ri.gov/elections/results/2008/general_election/. 2020-10-20. 2021-01-23. State of Rhode Island.
14. Web site: Rhode Island Board of Elections. November 2004. 2004 General Election Results. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20201021092916/https://elections.ri.gov/elections/results/2004/generalelection/. 2020-10-21. 2021-01-23. State of Rhode Island.