Leonardo Cioe Jr.

Leonardo Cioe Jr. (Democratic Party) (also known as Lenny) ran in a special election to the Rhode Island State Senate to represent District 4. He lost in the special Democratic primary on July 8, 2025.

Biography

Leonardo Cioe, Jr. was born in Providence, Rhode Island. He earned a bachelor's of science in registered nursing from Rhode Island College in 2008 and a law degree from the Southern University Law Center in 2015. His career experience includes working as a nurse at Fatima Hospital and Blackstone Valley Community Health Center.^[1]

Elections

2025

General election

Special general election for Rhode Island State Senate District 4

Stefano Famiglietti defeated Alexander Asermely in the special general election for Rhode Island State Senate District 4 on August 5, 2025.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Stefano Famiglietti (D)	83.0	1,706
	Alexander Asermely (R)	16.2	333
	Other/Write-in votes	0.8	16

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,055
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Stephen Tocco (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Special Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 4

Stefano Famiglietti defeated Marcia Ranglin-Vassell, Leonardo Cioe Jr., and Manny Taveras in the special Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 4 on July 8, 2025.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Stefano Famiglietti	68.1	1,664
		Marcia Ranglin-Vassell	15.6	382
		Leonardo Cioe Jr.	11.5	281
	Submit photo	Manny Taveras	4.8	118

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,445
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Alexander Asermely advanced from the special Republican primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 4.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Cioe in this election.

2024

General election

General election for Rhode Island State Senate District 4

Incumbent Dominick Ruggerio won election in the general election for Rhode Island State Senate District 4 on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Dominick Ruggerio (D)	94.9	10,736
	Other/Write-in votes	5.1	580

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 11,316
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 4

Incumbent Dominick Ruggerio defeated Leonardo Cioe Jr. in the Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 4 on September 10, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Dominick Ruggerio	70.3	1,996
	Leonardo Cioe Jr.	29.7	845

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,841
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Cioe in this election.

2022

General election

General election for Rhode Island State Senate District 4

Incumbent Dominick Ruggerio won election in the general election for Rhode Island State Senate District 4 on November 8, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Dominick Ruggerio (D)	93.0	6,892
	Other/Write-in votes	7.0	519

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,411
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 4

Incumbent Dominick Ruggerio defeated Leonardo Cioe Jr. and Stephen Tocco in the Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 4 on September 13, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dominick Ruggerio	59.5	2,669
		Leonardo Cioe Jr.	34.7	1,556
	Submit photo	Stephen Tocco	5.9	263

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,488
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2020

General election

General election for Rhode Island State Senate District 4

Incumbent Dominick Ruggerio won election in the general election for Rhode Island State Senate District 4 on November 3, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Dominick Ruggerio (D)	94.0	9,590
	Other/Write-in votes	6.0	611

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 10,201
= 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.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 4

Incumbent Dominick Ruggerio defeated Leonardo Cioe Jr. in the Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 4 on September 8, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Dominick Ruggerio	54.7	1,974
	Leonardo Cioe Jr.	45.3	1,633

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,607
= 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.

Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

Leonardo Cioe Jr. did not complete Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection survey.

2024

Leonardo Cioe Jr. did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Leonardo Cioe Jr. completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Cioe's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a registered nurse who has been at the frontlines of the Covid-19 crisis. I'm the son of an educator and a union leader and I've always known the value of strong schools and good jobs. In 2013, my partner of 28 years and I were married. Now, I am running for Senate in District 4 Providence / North Providence to fight for a government that works for all Rhode Islanders, not just the wealthy and well-connected up at the State House.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Restore Medicaid by reversing the 2018/2019 Medicaid cuts. Audit Medicaid so we understand where the funding is going, and reallocate to benefit every Rhode Islander.
Make a quality education a Constitutional right in Rhode Island. Ensure that every public school teacher in Rhode Island makes at least $60,000 per year.
Eliminate taxes on small businesses and stop giving tax breaks to large businesses. End corporate welfare.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

When I ran for State Senate in 2020, I ran in anger.

I ran thinking of my friends who had died from AIDS in the 1980s. Seeing them suffer transformed my life---I became a nurse. Knowing that no one cared about my friends because they, like me, were gay, soothed my knuckles, aching from knocking on so many doors in June.

I ran thinking of my father, who was a school teacher and gave his life to the state of Rhode Island. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s when I was 19. My family was forced to pay thousands of dollars a month in medication to keep him alive. The memory of watching my mother write letters to drug companies, pleading with them for the life-saving medicine my dad needed, fueled my march down steaming streets in the blazing heat of July.

I ran thinking of the people in my community who were suffering because of COVID---the misplaced elderly, scared and confused, the parents being placed on ventilators taking their last glimpse at the world, the patients talking with their families on the phone, unsure if they would ever go home again. The fear on those faces energized me throughout the tiring days of August.

Walking door to door, wearing my mask, and standing six feet back, I brought a message and vision of a better world to my neighbors.

Together, all of us here, and all of the candidates in the cooperative, are drops in a mighty stream, rushing straight at the corrupt swamp that is Smith Hill.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2020

Leonardo Cioe Jr. completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Cioe's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Leonardo (Lenny) Cioe Jr. is running for State Senate in District 4. As a registered nurse, he has been working on the frontlines of this pandemic. He has seen firsthand how our corporate health care system leaves the most vulnerable Rhode Islanders without access to the life-saving care they need. This must change. As an elected official, Lenny will fight for Rhode Island to invest in its citizens. He knows that we need a healthcare system that covers everyone, regardless of employment. He knows we need better and more equitable funding for our public schools. He knows we need fair tax reform for small businesses, and a living wage for all our workers. And finally, he knows we need to take bold action against climate change, and create jobs along the way. Vote for change. Vote for true progressive leadership. Vote for Lenny Cioe.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Healthcare is an investment in every Rhode Islander. We must guarantee healthcare coverage for everyone in our state, regardless of their employment status.
We must invest in our future by providing better and more equitable funding to our public schools. All students in our state should be guaranteed access to quality public education.
We must create a fair tax system for our small businesses, while also establishing a living minimum wage for our workers.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

As a registered nurse, I am motivated by the patients I meet in the hospital and their inability to afford life-saving medical care. I see healthcare as a right, not a privilege. I want to see healthcare coverage detached from employment status. When I was growing up, my father was diagnosed with Parkinson's, and my family and I struggled to afford his treatment. Decades later, our corporate healthcare system is as broken now as it was then. It's time for change.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Compassion, empathy, and the willingness to listen. These are qualities that all our elected officials should have. Cultivating them means talking to my constituents to truly understand their pain, frustrations, and goals. That is how we have a local government that truly represents its people.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

"Finishing the Hat," from my favorite musical "Sunday in the Park with George," has been stuck in my head these last few months of the campaign. George is working tirelessly on a painting, but feels like he's starting with nothing. He's making a hat where there wasn't one before. And that's exactly what I've been feeling as I try to build a grassroots campaign against the well-connected, extremely well-funded Senate President. But I'm going to finish my hat. Hard work and determination will get us there.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I lived through the AIDS crisis in New York, and had to bury many of my friends. I am a gay man, and it hurt me to watch my fellow members of the LGBTQ community be completely neglected by the healthcare system that was supposed to take care of them. I have never forgotten the pain of that period, and the anger I felt at the institutions that should have protected my friends but didn't. That is why I became a nurse: I wanted to reform the industry that failed my community from the inside out. I have tried to turn my pain into a constant fight for a better world.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Not necessarily. A lot of career politicians, like my opponent, focus more on getting reelected than they do on listening to and serving their constituents. As a registered nurse, I am running for office as a member of my community. We need true civic leadership on Smith Hill, and that won't come from someone who has already held office for 35 years. I know my district, because I live and work in it.

What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?

This pandemic has exposed a lot of problems that Rhode Islanders were already facing. We're seeing unemployment and eviction rates rising, leaving our most vulnerable without their most basic needs met. We need to raise the minimum wage, create jobs, invest in affordable housing, and guarantee healthcare for everyone. We are also facing the climate crisis, and we must act boldly and quickly to fight it. I will fight for the Green New Deal to move Rhode Island to 100% renewable energy by 2030, while creating thousands of jobs along the way.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

I have been hearing so many stories from my constituents that illustrate why we so badly need progressive leadership in Rhode Island. I don't want to share the details of these conversations, because for many people they are deeply personal. The voters I talk to at their doors, like so many patients I've seen in my time as a registered nurse, tell me about their struggles to afford medical treatment. So many have lost their jobs these past few months and their health insurance along with it. We need compassionate leadership that seeks to help the most vulnerable among us, not view them as another expense or an inconvenience.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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.

Leonardo Cioe Jr. campaign contribution history
Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024	Rhode Island State Senate District 4	Lost primary	$7,495	$0
2022	Rhode Island State Senate District 4	Lost primary	$39,320	$0
2020	Rhode Island State Senate District 4	Lost primary	$22,144	N/A**
Grand total			$68,959	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets, Federal Elections Commission *This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

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Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 21, 2022

[show]

Current members of the Rhode Island State Senate

Leadership

Senate President:Valarie Lawson

Majority Leader:Frank Ciccone

Minority Leader:Jessica de la Cruz

Senators

District 1

Jake Bissaillon (D)

District 2

Ana Quezada (D)

District 3

Sam Zurier (D)

District 4

Stefano Famiglietti (D)

District 5

Sam Bell (D)

District 6

Tiara Mack (D)

District 7

Frank Ciccone (D)

District 8

Lori Urso (D)

District 9

John Burke (D)

District 10

Walter Felag (D)

District 11

Linda Ujifusa (D)

District 12

Louis DiPalma (D)

District 13

Dawn Euer (D)

District 14

Valarie Lawson (D)

District 15

Meghan Kallman (D)

District 16

Jonathon Acosta (D)

District 17

Thomas Paolino (R)

District 18

Robert Britto (D)

District 19

Ryan Pearson (D)

District 20

Brian Thompson (D)

District 21

Gordon Rogers (R)

District 22

David Tikoian (D)

District 23

Jessica de la Cruz (R)

District 24

Melissa Murray (D)

District 25

Andrew Dimitri (D)

District 26

Todd Patalano (D)

District 27

Hanna Gallo (D)

District 28

Lammis Vargas (D)

District 29

Peter Appollonio (D)

District 30

Mark McKenney (D)

District 31

Matthew LaMountain (D)

District 32

Pamela Lauria (D)

District 33

Leonidas Raptakis (D)

District 34

Elaine Morgan (R)

District 35

Bridget Valverde (D)

District 36

Alana DiMario (D)

District 37

V. Sosnowski (D)

District 38

Victoria Gu (D)

Democratic Party (34)

Republican Party (4)

[1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 21, 2022

[1]

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Leonardo Cioe Jr.

Biography

Elections

2025

General election

Special general election for Rhode Island State Senate District 4

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Special Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 4

Republican primary election

Endorsements

2024

General election

General election for Rhode Island State Senate District 4

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 4

Endorsements

2022

General election

General election for Rhode Island State Senate District 4

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 4

2020

General election

General election for Rhode Island State Senate District 4

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 4

Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

2024

2022

2020

Campaign finance summary

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

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