Republican Party primaries in Rhode Island, 2026
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← 2024
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| Republican Party primaries, 2026 |
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| Primary Date |
| September 8, 2026 |
| Federal elections |
| Republican primaries for U.S. House |
| State party |
| Republican Party of Rhode Island |
| State political party revenue |
This page focuses on the Republican primaries that will take place in Rhode Island on September 8, 2026.
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election.
Rhode Island utilizes a semi-closed primary system. Unaffiliated voters may vote in a party's primary without affiliating with that party. Voters that are affiliated with a party at the time of the primary election may only vote in that party's primary.[1] State law also says: "Whenever an unaffiliated voter participates in a party primary, their party affiliation shall remain unaffiliated."[2]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Federal elections
U.S. Senate
A Republican Party primary takes place on September 8, 2026, in Rhode Island to determine which Republican candidate will run in the state's general election on November 3, 2026.
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. Senate Rhode Island
Raymond McKay and Allen Waters are running in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Rhode Island on September 8, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Raymond McKay | |
 | Allen Waters | |
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 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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U.S. House
District 1
Republican primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
District 2
Republican primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
State elections
State Senate
Rhode Island State Senate elections, 2026 |
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House of Representatives
State executive offices
Five state executive offices are up for election in Rhode Island in 2026:
Governor
Lieutenant Governor
Attorney General
Secretary of State
Treasurer
Governor of Rhode Island
Republican primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island
Republican primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Attorney General of Rhode Island
Republican primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Rhode Island Secretary of State
Republican primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Rhode Island General Treasurer
Republican primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Rhode Island
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Context of the 2026 elections
Rhode Island Party Control: 1992-2025
Sixteen years of Democratic trifectas • No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | I | I | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| House | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
State party overview
Republican Party of Rhode Island
- See also: Republican Party of Rhode Island
State political party revenue
State political parties typically deposit revenue in separate state and federal accounts in order to comply with state and federal campaign finance laws.
The Democratic Party and the Republican Party maintain state affiliates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and select U.S. territories. The following map displays total state political party revenue per capita for the Republican state party affiliates.
Pivot Counties
- See also: Pivot Counties by state
One of five Rhode Island counties—20 percent—is a Pivot County. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.
| Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Trump margin of victory in 2016 | Obama margin of victory in 2012 | Obama margin of victory in 2008 | ||||
| Kent County, Rhode Island | 0.67% | 17.74% | 17.40% | ||||
In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won Rhode Island with 54.4 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 38.9 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Rhode Island cast votes for the winning presidential candidate 73.3 percent of the time. In that same time frame, Rhode Island supported Democratic candidates for president more often than Republican candidates, 66.7 to 33.3 percent. The state favored Democrats in every election between between 2000 and 2016.
Presidential results by legislative district
The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Rhode Island. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[3][4]
| In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 73 out of 75 state House districts in Rhode Island with an average margin of victory of 33.4 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 57 out of 75 state House districts in Rhode Island with an average margin of victory of 30.4 points. Clinton won three districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections. |
| In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won two out of 75 state House districts in Rhode Island with an average margin of victory of 5.5 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 18 out of 75 state House districts in Rhode Island with an average margin of victory of 11.1 points. Trump won 11 districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections. |
| 2016 presidential results by state House district | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Obama | Romney | 2012 Margin | Clinton | Trump | 2016 Margin | Party Control |
| 1 | 77.88% | 19.55% | D+58.3 | 85.45% | 10.33% | D+75.1 | D |
| 2 | 82.10% | 14.94% | D+67.2 | 83.30% | 11.66% | D+71.6 | D |
| 3 | 88.85% | 10.11% | D+78.7 | 83.05% | 13.74% | D+69.3 | D |
| 4 | 81.90% | 15.78% | D+66.1 | 84.03% | 11.98% | D+72.1 | D |
| 5 | 75.85% | 22.86% | D+53 | 70.70% | 25.52% | D+45.2 | D |
| 6 | 70.83% | 27.63% | D+43.2 | 65.10% | 31.15% | D+33.9 | D |
| 7 | 78.56% | 19.57% | D+59 | 75.26% | 20.42% | D+54.8 | D |
| 8 | 85.36% | 11.66% | D+73.7 | 81.34% | 13.96% | D+67.4 | D |
| 9 | 91.76% | 6.92% | D+84.8 | 89.81% | 7.10% | D+82.7 | D |
| 10 | 90.59% | 8.59% | D+82 | 85.57% | 11.51% | D+74.1 | D |
| 11 | 93.26% | 5.08% | D+88.2 | 89.07% | 7.94% | D+81.1 | D |
| 12 | 95.96% | 3.50% | D+92.5 | 91.06% | 6.52% | D+84.5 | D |
| 13 | 76.98% | 21.84% | D+55.1 | 68.85% | 28.14% | D+40.7 | D |
| 14 | 72.42% | 26.13% | D+46.3 | 61.41% | 34.88% | D+26.5 | D |
| 15 | 50.98% | 47.87% | D+3.1 | 40.49% | 55.59% | R+15.1 | D |
| 16 | 58.59% | 40.13% | D+18.5 | 49.24% | 47.00% | D+2.2 | R |
| 17 | 63.08% | 35.32% | D+27.8 | 52.69% | 43.33% | D+9.4 | D |
| 18 | 74.50% | 23.72% | D+50.8 | 69.90% | 25.47% | D+44.4 | D |
| 19 | 64.13% | 33.94% | D+30.2 | 56.26% | 38.78% | D+17.5 | D |
| 20 | 62.11% | 35.83% | D+26.3 | 51.01% | 43.79% | D+7.2 | D |
| 21 | 62.97% | 35.04% | D+27.9 | 47.41% | 47.19% | D+0.2 | D |
| 22 | 60.04% | 38.07% | D+22 | 45.71% | 48.55% | R+2.8 | D |
| 23 | 61.87% | 35.86% | D+26 | 46.92% | 47.65% | R+0.7 | D |
| 24 | 54.45% | 43.97% | D+10.5 | 51.29% | 44.27% | D+7 | D |
| 25 | 60.30% | 36.95% | D+23.3 | 45.51% | 48.92% | R+3.4 | D |
| 26 | 58.69% | 39.60% | D+19.1 | 44.83% | 50.39% | R+5.6 | R |
| 27 | 60.66% | 37.57% | D+23.1 | 46.54% | 48.76% | R+2.2 | D |
| 28 | 55.96% | 42.02% | D+13.9 | 40.92% | 53.78% | R+12.9 | R |
| 29 | 53.11% | 44.78% | D+8.3 | 40.38% | 54.62% | R+14.2 | R |
| 30 | 48.09% | 50.48% | R+2.4 | 51.89% | 43.35% | D+8.5 | R |
| 31 | 53.25% | 44.58% | D+8.7 | 49.38% | 44.64% | D+4.7 | D |
| 32 | 54.65% | 42.99% | D+11.7 | 54.91% | 38.68% | D+16.2 | D |
| 33 | 59.11% | 38.66% | D+20.4 | 56.59% | 37.80% | D+18.8 | D |
| 34 | 62.59% | 35.06% | D+27.5 | 58.84% | 35.04% | D+23.8 | D |
| 35 | 60.99% | 36.81% | D+24.2 | 60.50% | 33.29% | D+27.2 | D |
| 36 | 59.64% | 38.12% | D+21.5 | 54.23% | 40.49% | D+13.7 | I |
| 37 | 56.42% | 42.19% | D+14.2 | 50.60% | 44.83% | D+5.8 | D |
| 38 | 57.83% | 39.99% | D+17.8 | 44.01% | 50.80% | R+6.8 | D |
| 39 | 52.67% | 44.46% | D+8.2 | 41.77% | 52.15% | R+10.4 | R |
| 40 | 50.44% | 47.48% | D+3 | 37.94% | 56.19% | R+18.2 | R |
| 41 | 44.89% | 53.59% | R+8.7 | 35.38% | 60.20% | R+24.8 | R |
| 42 | 58.92% | 39.91% | D+19 | 42.15% | 54.30% | R+12.1 | D |
| 43 | 58.21% | 40.61% | D+17.6 | 41.73% | 54.89% | R+13.2 | D |
| 44 | 49.94% | 48.77% | D+1.2 | 40.47% | 55.06% | R+14.6 | D |
| 45 | 57.34% | 41.19% | D+16.1 | 50.08% | 44.59% | D+5.5 | D |
| 46 | 57.40% | 41.52% | D+15.9 | 49.80% | 45.64% | D+4.2 | D |
| 47 | 54.49% | 43.42% | D+11.1 | 36.29% | 57.69% | R+21.4 | D |
| 48 | 50.29% | 47.86% | D+2.4 | 40.74% | 54.21% | R+13.5 | R |
| 49 | 71.11% | 26.68% | D+44.4 | 59.21% | 35.90% | D+23.3 | D |
| 50 | 62.76% | 35.64% | D+27.1 | 47.15% | 47.01% | D+0.1 | D |
| 51 | 61.36% | 36.93% | D+24.4 | 47.71% | 46.96% | D+0.7 | D |
| 52 | 50.99% | 47.45% | D+3.5 | 49.28% | 45.78% | D+3.5 | D |
| 53 | 51.05% | 47.12% | D+3.9 | 43.76% | 51.38% | R+7.6 | D |
| 54 | 63.50% | 34.68% | D+28.8 | 50.82% | 45.03% | D+5.8 | D |
| 55 | 62.78% | 35.87% | D+26.9 | 50.30% | 46.45% | D+3.9 | D |
| 56 | 87.64% | 11.14% | D+76.5 | 83.70% | 13.17% | D+70.5 | D |
| 57 | 70.43% | 28.46% | D+42 | 61.34% | 34.62% | D+26.7 | D |
| 58 | 81.87% | 17.04% | D+64.8 | 75.91% | 21.45% | D+54.5 | D |
| 59 | 82.88% | 15.73% | D+67.2 | 81.01% | 16.02% | D+65 | D |
| 60 | 77.19% | 21.25% | D+55.9 | 68.84% | 26.69% | D+42.2 | D |
| 61 | 69.97% | 28.19% | D+41.8 | 58.87% | 36.65% | D+22.2 | D |
| 62 | 73.17% | 25.52% | D+47.7 | 62.35% | 33.88% | D+28.5 | D |
| 63 | 68.71% | 29.70% | D+39 | 61.42% | 34.15% | D+27.3 | D |
| 64 | 78.23% | 20.42% | D+57.8 | 64.45% | 30.74% | D+33.7 | D |
| 65 | 67.21% | 31.00% | D+36.2 | 57.16% | 38.34% | D+18.8 | D |
| 66 | 60.33% | 38.05% | D+22.3 | 60.76% | 34.39% | D+26.4 | D |
| 67 | 59.60% | 38.43% | D+21.2 | 59.62% | 35.22% | D+24.4 | D |
| 68 | 61.03% | 37.23% | D+23.8 | 56.44% | 38.30% | D+18.1 | D |
| 69 | 63.40% | 34.93% | D+28.5 | 54.73% | 39.34% | D+15.4 | D |
| 70 | 61.15% | 37.13% | D+24 | 50.97% | 44.04% | D+6.9 | D |
| 71 | 55.50% | 42.77% | D+12.7 | 51.15% | 42.78% | D+8.4 | D |
| 72 | 52.92% | 45.87% | D+7 | 54.31% | 40.56% | D+13.7 | R |
| 73 | 69.84% | 28.60% | D+41.2 | 68.08% | 26.94% | D+41.1 | D |
| 74 | 60.47% | 37.39% | D+23.1 | 58.87% | 35.46% | D+23.4 | D |
| 75 | 63.12% | 35.12% | D+28 | 64.40% | 30.27% | D+34.1 | D |
| Total | 62.90% | 35.35% | D+27.5 | 55.54% | 39.71% | D+15.8 | - |
| Source: Daily Kos | |||||||
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Rhode Island General Assembly, "R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-24," accessed October 29, 2025
- ↑ Rhode Island General Assembly, "R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-9.1-23," accessed October 29, 2025
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
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