K. Joseph Shekarchi
K. Joseph Shekarchi (Democratic Party) is a member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives, representing District 23. He assumed office in 2013. His current term ends on January 5, 2027.
Shekarchi was elected state speaker of the House in 2021 and re-elected in 2023. He was House Majority Leader from 2016 through 2020.[1]
Shekarchi earned a bachelor's degree in government from Suffolk University in 1984 and a J.D. from Suffolk University Law School in 1990. Shekarchi practiced law for more than 30 years, including 25 years as the legal counsel to the Warwick Housing Authority. He also served as solicitor for Warwick, Rhode Island.[1]
Shekarchi was first elected to the House in 2012 when he defeated John Falkowski (R) 68%-32%. He succeeded 20-year incumbent Robert Flaherty (D), who filed to run but did not qualify for the ballot. Shekarchi was unopposed for re-election in every election from 2014 to 2024 except 2022, when he defeated Dana Traversie (R) 60%-40%. To review Shekarchi's full electoral history, click here.
The Public’s Radio's Ian Donnis said the position of speaker is "often called the most powerful job in state government. That’s because the speaker controls the legislation in the House of Representatives and has broad influence over the state budget." Donnis wrote that Shekarchi "wins kudos even from some Republicans for keeping an open door and having a consensus-oriented approach."[2] In a December 2023 interview with Rhode Island PBS, Shekarchi highlighted housing policy as his top priority for the 2024 legislative session.[3]
According to NECN, Shekarchi described his political philosophy as "socially liberal and fiscally conservative."[4] After his selection as speaker in January 2021, Shekarchi said, "We will strive for a Rhode Island that provides a just, secure and prosperous future for everyone, regardless of our zip code, regardless of the color of our skin, and regardless of how long their family has proudly claimed the title of American."[5] In 2025, Shekarchi introduced 12 bills to address housing.[6] TThe General Assembly passed 10 of them.[7]
Biography
K. Joseph Shekarchi was born in 1962. He earned his bachelor's degree in government from Suffolk University in 1984 and his J.D. from Suffolk University Law School in 1990. His professional experience includes working as an attorney at Shekarchi Law Office.[8][9]
Committee assignments
2021-2022
Shekarchi was assigned to the following committees:
2019-2020
Shekarchi was assigned to the following committees:
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Shekarchi served on the following committees:
| Rhode Island committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Labor, Chair |
2013-2014
In the 2013-2014 legislative session, Shekarchi served on the following committees:
| Rhode Island committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Judiciary |
| • Labor |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2024
See also: Rhode Island House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
General election for Rhode Island House of Representatives District 23
Incumbent K. Joseph Shekarchi won election in the general election for Rhode Island House of Representatives District 23 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | K. Joseph Shekarchi (D) | 94.0 | 5,684 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 6.0 | 363 | ||
| Total votes: 6,047 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Rhode Island House of Representatives District 23
Incumbent K. Joseph Shekarchi advanced from the Democratic primary for Rhode Island House of Representatives District 23 on September 10, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | K. Joseph Shekarchi | 100.0 | 679 |
| Total votes: 679 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Dana Traversie (R)
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Shekarchi in this election.
2022
See also: Rhode Island House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
General election for Rhode Island House of Representatives District 23
Incumbent K. Joseph Shekarchi defeated Dana Traversie in the general election for Rhode Island House of Representatives District 23 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | K. Joseph Shekarchi (D) | 59.9 | 3,416 |
 | Dana Traversie (R) | 40.0 | 2,278 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 5 | ||
| Total votes: 5,699 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Rhode Island House of Representatives District 23
Incumbent K. Joseph Shekarchi defeated Jacqueline Anderson in the Democratic primary for Rhode Island House of Representatives District 23 on September 13, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | K. Joseph Shekarchi | 69.7 | 1,271 |
| Jacqueline Anderson | 30.3 | 552 | ||
| Total votes: 1,823 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Rhode Island House of Representatives District 23
Dana Traversie advanced from the Republican primary for Rhode Island House of Representatives District 23 on September 13, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Dana Traversie | 100.0 | 359 |
| Total votes: 359 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2020
See also: Rhode Island House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
General election for Rhode Island House of Representatives District 23
Incumbent K. Joseph Shekarchi won election in the general election for Rhode Island House of Representatives District 23 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | K. Joseph Shekarchi (D) | 94.3 | 5,413 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 5.7 | 329 | ||
| Total votes: 5,742 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Rhode Island House of Representatives District 23
Incumbent K. Joseph Shekarchi advanced from the Democratic primary for Rhode Island House of Representatives District 23 on September 8, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | K. Joseph Shekarchi | 100.0 | 1,103 |
| Total votes: 1,103 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2018
General election
General election for Rhode Island House of Representatives District 23
Incumbent K. Joseph Shekarchi won election in the general election for Rhode Island House of Representatives District 23 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | K. Joseph Shekarchi (D) | 94.9 | 4,209 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 5.1 | 228 | ||
| Total votes: 4,437 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Rhode Island House of Representatives District 23
Incumbent K. Joseph Shekarchi advanced from the Democratic primary for Rhode Island House of Representatives District 23 on September 12, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | K. Joseph Shekarchi | 100.0 | 1,319 |
| Total votes: 1,319 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
Elections for the Rhode Island House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on September 13, 2016, and a general election would have taken place on November 8, 2016, if no candidate had won a majority of votes in the primary. The candidate filing deadline was June 29, 2016.
Incumbent K. Joseph Shekarchi ran unopposed in the Rhode Island House of Representatives District 23 general election.[10][11]
| Rhode Island House of Representatives, District 23 General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic |  K. Joseph Shekarchi Incumbent (unopposed) | |
| Source: Rhode Island State Board of Elections | ||
Incumbent K. Joseph Shekarchi ran unopposed in the Rhode Island House of Representatives District 23 Democratic primary.[12]
| Rhode Island House of Representatives, District 23 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | K. Joseph Shekarchi Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2014
Elections for the Rhode Island House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on September 9, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 25, 2014. Incumbent K. Joseph Shekarchi was unopposed in the Democratic primary and was unchallenged in the general election.[13][14][15]
2012
Shekarchi won election in the 2012 election for Rhode Island House of Representatives District 23. Shekarchi was unopposed in the September 11 Democratic primary and defeated John Falkowski (R) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[16][17][18]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | K. Joseph Shekarchi |
67.9% | 4,302 | |
| Republican | John Falkowski | 31.8% | 2,013 | |
| Other | Write-in | 0.4% | 24 | |
| Total Votes | 6,339 | |||
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
K. Joseph Shekarchi did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2022
K. Joseph Shekarchi did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
K. Joseph Shekarchi did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2012
Shekarchi stated that he would focus on improving the state's economy, fight for services to senior citizens, and support education.[19]
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Rhode Island General Assembly in 2025.
- ACLU of Rhode Island — Legislators are tracked on their votes related to civil liberties.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Rhode Island General Assembly in 2024.
- ACLU of Rhode Island — Legislators are tracked on their votes related to civil liberties.
- Environmental Council of Rhode Island — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental policy.
- National Federation of Independent Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- The Freedom Index — Legislators are scored on their adherence to the limited government principles of the U.S. Constitution.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Rhode Island General Assembly in 2023.
- ACLU of Rhode Island — Legislators are tracked on their votes related to civil liberties.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- The Freedom Index — Legislators are scored on their adherence to the limited government principles of the U.S. Constitution.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Rhode Island General Assembly in 2022.
- ACLU of Rhode Island — Legislators are tracked on their votes related to civil liberties.
- Common Cause Rhode Island — Legislators are scored on their votes on a variety of issues of interest to the organization.
- Environmental Council of Rhode Island — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental policy.
- National Federation of Independent Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Rhode Island General Assembly in 2021.
- ACLU of Rhode Island — Legislators are tracked on their votes related to civil liberties.
- Common Cause Rhode Island — Legislators are scored on their votes on a variety of issues of interest to the organization.
- Environmental Council of Rhode Island — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental policy.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Rhode Island General Assembly in 2020.
- National Federation of Independent Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Rhode Island General Assembly in 2019.
- ACLU of Rhode Island — Legislators are tracked on their votes related to civil liberties.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Rhode Island General Assembly in 2018.
- ACLU of Rhode Island — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to civil liberties.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Rhode Island General Assembly in 2017.
- ACLU of Rhode Island — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to civil liberties.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Rhode Island General Assembly in 2016.
- Environmental Council of Rhode Island — Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
- National Federation of Independent Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on small business issues.
- Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity — Legislators are scored by the Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity on their votes "affecting free-market, small-government, or constitutional principles."
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Rhode Island General Assembly in 2015.
- Environmental Council of Rhode Island — Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
- Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity — Legislators are scored by the Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity on their votes "affecting free-market, small-government, or constitutional principles."
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Rhode Island General Assembly in 2014.
- ACLU of Rhode Island — Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills related to civil liberties.
- Environment Council of Rhode Island — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.
- National Federation of Independent Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on small business issues.
- Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity — Legislators are scored by the Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity on their votes "affecting free-market, small-government, or constitutional principles."
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Rhode Island General Assembly in 2013.
- ACLU of Rhode Island — Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills related to civil liberties.
- Environment Council of Rhode Island — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.
- National Federation of Independent Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on small business issues.
- Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity — Legislators are scored by the Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity on their votes "affecting free-market, small-government, or constitutional principles."
See also
2024 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Rhode Island House of Representatives District 23 |
Officeholder Rhode Island House of Representatives District 23 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 State of Rhode Island General Assembly, "Representative K. Joseph Shekarchi," accessed August 13, 2024
- ↑ The Public's Radio, "House Speaker Joe Shekarchi on state spending, housing and his future plans," June 21, 2024
- ↑ YouTube, "House Speaker Joe Shekarchi’s top priority is housing | Rhode Island PBS Weekly," December 17, 2023
- ↑ NECN, "Rep. Joe Shekarchi Becomes Next Rhode Island House Speaker," January 5, 2021
- ↑ Watermark Online, "Openly gay Rep. Joe Shekarchi becomes Rhode Island House Speaker," January 8, 2021
- ↑ Providence Journal, "Homes on commercial streets, more multi-family zoning: How Shekarchi wants to boost homebuilding," February 27, 2025
- ↑ Rhode Island Current, "Five wins from Rhode Island’s 2025 legislative session," June 26, 2025
- ↑ Legistorm, "Rhode Island State Rep. Joe Shekarchi," accessed October 23, 2025
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Rep. Shekarchi," accessed June 10, 2014
- ↑ Rhode Island Secretary of State, "2016 Candidate Search," accessed October 5, 2016
- ↑ Rhode Island State Board of Elections, "2016 general election results," accessed January 19, 2017
- ↑ Rhode Island Secretary of State, "2016 Candidate Search," accessed June 30, 2016
- ↑ Rhode Island Secretary of State, "Candidates for Representative in General Assembly," accessed June 30, 2014
- ↑ Rhode Island Secretary of State, "2014 Statewide Primary Results: Representative in General Assembly," accessed September 26, 2014
- ↑ Rhode Island Board of Elections, "Official 2014 general election results," accessed December 4, 2014
- ↑ Candidates in Upcoming Elections, "Rhode Island Secretary of State," accessed July 10, 2012
- ↑ State of Rhode Island Board of Elections, "2012 Statewide Primary Results," accessed June 10, 2014
- ↑ State of Rhode Island Board of Elections, "2012 Statewide General Election Results," accessed June 10, 2014
- ↑ Joeshekarchi.com, "Home," accessed October 18, 2012
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 23 2013-Present |
Succeeded by - |
