Voter Guide for RI's Special Election: 2023 Congressional District 1
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In the Sept. 5 special election primary, voters who live in the 1st Congressional District will cast their ballot for Rhode Island's new Representative to the U.S. House. Here's everything you need to know before you vote.
If you live in any of the following communities, you're in the district: East Providence, Pawtucket, Central Falls, North Providence, Cumberland, Lincoln, Smithfield, North Smithfield, Woonsocket, Bristol, Barrington, Warren, Portsmouth, Newport, Middletown, Jamestown, Little Compton, and Tiverton.
Why is Rhode Island having a special election?
Rhode Island House Rep. David Cicilline announced in February that he'd be resigning from Congress. His last day was June 1.
The unexpected move triggered a special election in Rhode Island’s First Congressional District, which covers the eastern portion of the state.
Primary day will be Tuesday, Sept. 5 and the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 7.
“Together with the Secretary of State’s Office and the Board of Elections, my team is committed to ensuring that Rhode Islanders are aware of this special election and engaged in the process. Members of Congress play key roles in ensuring that Rhode Island is represented in Washington, D.C., and we want to ensure Rhode Islanders are participating in selecting their next representative," Gov. Dan McKee said.
As is dictated by law, the governor signed the formal Writ of Election when the seat was officially vacated on June 1, 2023.
Who is running for Rhode Island's first Congressional District?
The Democrats on the primary ballot:
Gabe Amo, a native son of Pawtucket, joined the ever-growing crowd of Democratic candidates for Rhode Island's 1st Congressional District seat days after resigning his job as a special assistant in the Biden administration.
Stephanie Beauté, the political newcomer who waged a 2022 campaign for secretary of state, joined the ever-growing crowd of Democrats running for Rhode Island's soon-to-be-open 1st Congressional District seat.
Former Navy intelligence officer – and professor in the War Gaming Department at the U.S. Naval War College until his recent resignation to try politics – jumped into the crowded Democratic race to succeed U.S. Rep. David Cicilline in Congress.
Pawtucket state Sen. Sandra Cano Cano was elected to the state Senate in a 2018 special election and is now the chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee. Born in Colombia, she served on the Pawtucket City Council before running for General Assembly. She joined the race to replace David Cicilline in March.
Woonsocket firefighter and state Rep. Stephen Casey officially entered the race for Rhode Island's soon-to-open congressional seat in April when he filed his "statement of candidacy" with the Federal Election Commission.
Spencer Dickinson, a perennial candidate who also filed paperwork to run in Congressional District 2 last year.
Providence City Council member John Goncalves, a fourth-grade teacher and diversity, equity and inclusion coordinator at the Wheeler School in Providence, announced his 1st Congressional District campaign in a video in March
Providence Democrat and Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos launched her campaign for the 1st Congressional District, saying "Rhode Islanders deserve a champion who has a deep connection and commitment to the vibrant communities that make up our state" in a news release.
Ana Quezada, a state Democratic state senator originally elected in 2016 from Providence, joined the race earlier this year. She represents The South Side and West End of Providence.
Aaron Regunberg, the progressive Democrat came within 2 percentage points of beating then-Lt. Gov. Dan McKee in 2018, A former two-term state representative from the East Side of Providence, Democrat Regunberg announced his candidacy by email − and a video − for the seat that U.S. Rep. David Cicilline won in November
Allen Waters enters the race ad a Democrat. A Departure from November, when he challenged sitting Rep. David Ciciline in the general election as a Republican. At the time, the 66-year-old Republican was in his fourth bid for public office. Two of those attempts were in Massachusetts and both were short-lived, the first in 2017 as an independent against Sen. Elizabeth Warren and two years later against Sen. Edward Markey.
The Republicans on the primary ballot
A former member of the Middletown Town Council
Gerry Leonard Jr.'s LinkedIn profile states that he is an "operations expert" who lives in Jamestown and previously served as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Where can I hear from the candidates in their own words:
The Providence Journal, The Public's radio, Rhode Island College and RI PBS partnered on a series of candidate forums.
During the forum, competing Democrats agreed more than they disagreed on defense spending, "common sense" gun controls, student debt relief, ranked-choice voting and a whole lot more.
They did not agree on everything. And there was at least one gasp-worthy moment.
During back-to-back interviews, the state's two GOP candidates did not stray from national party lines.
One exception?
When asked whether he would support a national abortion ban, Leonard, the Marine veteran who is the state GOP's endorsed candidate in the two-person Republican primary contest, said it's a states' issue and should remain so.
Flynn, a former Middletown councilwoman, said she could not answer questions about what she would have done had she been in Congress at historic moments – such as the Trump impeachment vote – without more information.
Watch on for the full interviews:
Where can I learn about where the candidates stand on all the major issues before the September 5th primary?
Need help deciding who to vote for in RI's Special Election Primary in September? Use this guide to help distinguish between the Democratic candidates and see where they stand on key issues.
The Providence Journal posed 13 questions, about key topics like the environment, the economy, student loan debt and more, to each candidate who will appear on the Democratic primary ballot. You'll find their written responses, presented in alphabetical order by last name. (One candidate, Spencer Dickinson, did not respond to the questionnaire.
Answers have been edited only to conform with AP style, and not for spelling or grammar. Additionally, each candidate was informed that they would have no more than 75 words to answer each question.
Key Issues: Democrats in the CD1 Special Election explain where stand on major issues
A separate questionnaire was distributed to the two Republican candidates who will appear on the Republican primary ballot: Terri Flynn and Gerry Leonard Jr.
Leonard, who has been endorsed by the Rhode Island GOP, did not complete the survey. (His campaign confirmed that they had received the questionnaire and were aware of the deadline.)
Key Issues: Republicans in the CD1 Special Election explain where stand on major issues
Do the candidates really know the district?
How well do the candidates competing in the special election to replace former U.S. Rep David Cicilline know Rhode Island's 1st Congressional District – which stretches all the way from Social Street in Woonsocket to Sakonnet Point in Little Compton?
For instance, can they tell you where Touisset is located? Or where to find a chimi? How many are familiar with the bloody history of the Saylesville Massacre — or know that a "coffee cabinet" isn't a piece of furniture?
To find out, Political Scene put the candidates to the test, inviting each to take a short trivia quiz on the district's history, culture and lore.
Click to read the whole quiz: We gave the CD1 special election candidates a quiz on the district. Here's how they did.
What about Don Carlson? Why is he on the ballot if he's already dropped out of the race?
Calling politics a sometimes "nasty business," especially for gay people, congressional candidate Donald Carlson sought to set the record straight on the "rumors circulating about me," including a WPRI report that he sent a text message to a student that suggested "a relationship modeled on a website where people can pay to go on dates.”
Days later, the embattled Donald Carlson suspended his campaign for Rhode Island's open congressional seat and endorsed state Sen. Sandra Cano.
Rhode Island Republicans have used the chain of events and Donald Carlson's decision to drop out of the 1st Congressional District Democratic primary as a concrete example of why the state's early voting period is too long.
More over, there is no legal mechanism to remove Carlson from the primary ballot, but the state Board of Elections asked all local elections officials to post notes at polling places letting people know Carlson has "withdrawn his candidacy."
Why did David Cicilline retire?
David Cicilline, 61, has been in the House since 2011. He easily won reelection to a seventh term in November, defeating Republican Allan Waters with 64% of the vote.
Cicilline served as the first openly gay mayor of Providence from 2003 to 2011. Before that, he worked as a defense lawyer and served in the General Assembly.
Last fall, Cicilline opened a cocktail bar named Clementine in downtown Providence, in the space that once housed the restaurant Birch.
He's stepping down to take on a new role as president of the Rhode Island Foundation, the state's largest philanthropic agency which oversees $1.3 billion in assets.
There, he will be making a salary of $650,000 as the head of the foundation, according to a spokesperson.
When is the primary for Congressional District 1 in Rhode Island?
Sept. 5: Election Day for the primary.
When will Rhode Island have the special election for CD1?
Nov. 7: Election Day for the general election.
Other key dates for Rhode Island voters:
Aug. 6: Deadline to register to vote in the primary.
If you want to vote in the Democratic primary — which will be the main event in this year's election — you'll need to ensure that you're registered by this date. (And if you've recently moved to the district, you'll want to make sure that you've updated your address by the deadline.)
If you're an unaffiliated voter, you can still vote in the Democratic primary, according to the Secretary of State's Office. However, by doing so, you will become a registered Democrat. You can change your status back to "unaffiliated" as you're leaving the polls, or at a later date.
If you're registered as a Republican but want to vote in the Democratic primary, you'll need to switch your affiliation to either "Democrat" or "Unaffiliated" before the Aug. 6th deadline.
You can check your registration and complete the registration process online at vote.sos.ri.gov.
Aug. 16 - Sept. 5: In-person early voting takes place for the primary election.
Sept. 5: Election Day for the primary.
Oct. 8: Deadline to register to vote in the general election.
Oct. 17: Deadline to apply for a mail ballot for the general election.
Worth noting: Even if you received a mail ballot for the primary, you'll have to apply again if you want to vote by mail in the general election.
Oct. 18 - Nov. 6: In-person early voting takes place for the general election election.
Nov. 7: Election Day for the general election.
What towns are in Congressional District 1 and can I vote in the special election?
If you live in any of the following communities, you're in the district:
East Providence
Pawtucket
Central Falls
North Providence
Cumberland
Lincoln
Smithfield
North Smithfield
Woonsocket
Bristol
Barrington
Warren
Portsmouth
Newport
Middletown
Jamestown
Little Compton
Tiverton
The district also covers parts of Providence, including the East Side and South Side, and a portion of downtown.
To check to see if you're eligible to vote, look up your address at vote.sos.ri.gov.
How can I learn more about the candidate?
First, be sure to sign up for our morning newsletter. We're following this race closely so you'll get the most recent news directly to your inbox, every day.
With every twist and turn of the campaign, we update our story: The latest from the 1st Congressional District election. That includes endorsements, scandals, campaign advertising and financial disclosures of campaigns.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: 2023 RI's 1st congressional district special election: Voter Guide
