Three-way Democratic primary race for House District 9
Left to right are House District 9 Democratic Rep. Enrique Sanchez of Providence, and challengers Santos Javier and Anastacia Williams.(Contributed photos)
Two challengers are looking to unseat a first term incumbent for the House District 9 seat in Providence. The district spans parts of downtown and South Providence.
Rhode Island Current reached out to all three candidates with a questionnaire.
Candidate Anastacia Williams, who lost the seat to Enrique Sanchez in 2022, did not provide answers to the questionnaire, despite repeated inquiries.
Key Events
3 weeks ago
Political newcomer Santos Javier wants to focus on small businesses
3 weeks ago
Providence Rep. Enrique Sanchez prioritizes affordable housing
3 weeks ago
Political newcomer Santos Javier wants to focus on small businesses
Name: Santos Javier
Party: Democrat
Race: House District 9
Age: 46
Residence: Providence
Years lived in Rhode Island: 36
Job: Self-employed
Political bio: No elected experience
What are your top 3 legislative priorities, if elected?
My top 3 legislation would be:
To allow the building of dwelling units on private property
Strengthen equal rights for all
More investment for small business
Do you support applying the 5% state hotel tax to short-term rentals? If so, how would you propose to use that revenue?
I don’t support a 5% tax on short-term rentals because they are not hotels. Hotels operate differently. Rhode Island is overtaxing its residents; it’s not good for the state.
Should the state offer more to state pensioners beyond the COLA restoration approved in the FY25 budget? If so, what would you propose?
I think state pensioners make above-average money. I propose to keep as it was.
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Last updated: 5:49 pm
3 weeks ago
Providence Rep. Enrique Sanchez prioritizes affordable housing
Name: Enrique Sanchez
Party: Democrat
Race: House District 9
Age: 27
Residence: Providence
Years Lived in Rhode Island: 12
Job: Delivery driver
Political bio: Seeking his second term representing Providence’s House District 9. First elected in 2022.
What are your top three legislative priorities, if elected?
First, our housing policy needs to favor ordinary Rhode Islanders, not luxury developers. We should never give special breaks to companies pushing high-end housing, but especially not while so many of our neighbors are struggling to afford a roof over their heads and at risk of homelessness. That’s why I opposed lowering the percentage of units required to be affordable in new developments and making it impossible to undo the Providence mayor’s tax changes, which shifted the burden of property taxes away from luxury developers and onto ordinary homeowners. I will always fight for building more affordable and low-income housing.
Another key issue: I believe the minimum wage is too low and should be raised to at least $20 an hour. In addition to co-sponsoring minimum wage increase bills, I have introduced proposals to eliminate exemptions to the minimum for tipped and teenage workers and require everyone to be paid weekly.
Finally, as a former educator in the Providence public schools, I’ve seen firsthand how the takeover and chronic underfunding have hurt our teachers and students. One of my proudest accomplishments of my first term was playing a key role in convincing the Speaker of the House to reverse his position and pass increases to education funding he had initially opposed. But we still have so much work to do, and I will never stop fighting for the investments our public schools deserve.
Should the state offer more to state pensioners beyond the COLA restoration approved in the FY25 budget? If so, what would you propose?
The COLA restoration we passed in this year’s budget was a much-needed step in the right direction. We still have much work to do in order to undo the devastating impact of former Gov. Gina Raimondo’s cruel pension cuts. First, we need to restore the COLA to the full 3%, compounding annually, in order to ensure that those hardest hit by inflation have the resources they need to keep supporting themselves. We also need to ensure that everyone — not just people who retired before 2012 — is covered by COLAs. Someone whose pension is based on 2013 dollars is not getting compensated fairly in 2024. Pension reform opponents say we can’t afford it. But they’re the same people who want to cut taxes for rich people and big corporations. That’s absurd. The wealthy interests don’t deserve special favors — especially if the cost of providing them is condemning our working class senior citizens and retirees to finish their lives in misery and poverty. I’m all for reversing those tax breaks and making the rich pay their fair share so that everyone can retire in dignity.
Do you support applying the 5% state hotel tax to short-term rentals? If so, how would you propose to use that revenue?
Yes. I salute Rep. Lauren Carson for her leadership on this issue. A tourist room is a tourist room, whether it’s a spare bedroom in an Airbnb or a suite in a five-star hotel. The housing crisis is one of the most serious problems we are facing, and the fact that so many units are short-term rentals for visitors instead of housing for Rhode Islanders is a major factor. As for how the money should be used, I would propose that it be limited to affordable housing and public education. These are two areas of public spending that are the most seriously underfunded.
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Last updated: 5:45 pm
