Your monthly support provides voters the knowledge they need to make confident decisions at the polls. Donate today.
Rhode Island 2010 legislative election results
Senate
 |
|
Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan• Minnesota • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming |
| Other 2010 Election information |
Rhode Island State Senate Election Results
This page contains macro-level election results and analysis for the Rhode Island State Senate. For results in individual contests see our Rhode Island State Senate elections, 2010 page. The following is a breakdown of the state senate before and after the election:
| Rhode Island State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 1, 2010 | After the 2010 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 33 | 29 | |
| Republican Party | 4 | 8 | |
| Independent | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 38 | 38 | |
What You'll See on This Page
This page displays the following lists of candidates
- Incumbents who ran on November 2
- Incumbents who were defeated
- Challengers who defeated an incumbent
- Newly elected senators
- List of all winners
- Unopposed candidates
- Third party candidates
State Senate Overview:
- There were 32 incumbents who ran in the November 2 general election. Only 1 incumbent lost, and thus 31 incumbents were re-elected to the Rhode Island State Senate.
- No Republican incumbents lost in the general election, while 1 Democratic incumbent lost.
- There will be 7 new senators sworn-in. Of those 7, 2 are Democrats and 5 are Republicans
- Of the 38 seats up for election, 29 were won by Democrats, 8 by Republicans, and 1 by an independent.
- 14 candidates were unopposed, 13 Democrats and 1 Republican.
- Only 2 candidates ran as an independent or third party candidate in the general election.
Incumbency Analysis
Of the 1,167 state senate seats up for election in 2010, incumbents ran for 894 (76.6%) of them. Of these 894, 94 lost their re-election bids, 89 Democrats and 5 Republicans. In Rhode Island, 5 incumbent senators did not run for re-election on the November 2 ballot, while 33 incumbents (84.2%) ran for re-election. Of these 32 incumbents, 1 was defeated.
Incumbents who ran on November 2
The following is a list of all of the incumbents who ran on the November 2 general election ballot:
- Maryellen Goodwin
- Juan Pichardo
- Rhoda Perry
- Dominick Ruggerio
- Paul Jabour
- Harold Metts
- James Doyle (Rhode Island)
- Frank Ciccone
- Michael Pinga
- Charles Levesque (Rhode Island)
- Daniel DaPonte
- Frank DeVall, Jr.
- Roger Picard
- John Tassoni
- Paul Fogarty
- Marc Cote
- Beatrice Lanzi
- Hanna Gallo
- Joshua Miller (Rhode Island)
- William Walaska
- Michael McCaffrey (Rhode Island)
- Erin Lynch Prata
- David Bates, Rhode Island Senator
- Francis Maher, Jr.
- James Sheehan
- Dennis Algiere
- V. Susan Sosnowski
- Edward O'Neill (Rhode Island)
- Walter Felag
- Louis DiPalma
- M. Teresa Paiva Weed
- Elizabeth Crowley (Rhode Island)
Incumbents defeated
The following is a list of incumbents defeated on November 2:
| Candidate | Party | District |
|---|---|---|
| Charles Levesque (Rhode Island) |
Challengers who beat an incumbent
The following is a list of challengers who defeated an incumbent on November 2:
| Candidate | Party | District |
|---|---|---|
| Christopher Ottiano |
New State Senators and General Election Winners
388 new senators were elected across the country. This includes challengers who defeated incumbents as well as candidates who won open seats. Of these 388, 278 were Republicans and 110 were Democrats. In Rhode Island, 7 new senators will be sworn-in. Of those 7, 2 are Democrats and 5 are Republicans. In the 6 open seat contests, Republicans won 4 and Democrats 2. In total, Rhode Island elected 38 senators, 8 Republicans, 29 Democrats, and 1 independent.
Newly elected senators
The following are the newly-elected members of the Rhode Island State Senate:
Democratic
Republican
Open Seat Winners
The following is a list of candidates who won election in seats where no incumbent was running:
Democratic
Republican
Candidates who won election
The following is a list of all candidates elected to the Rhode Island State Senate:
Democratic
- Maryellen Goodwin
- Juan Pichardo
- Rhoda Perry
- Dominick Ruggerio
- Paul Jabour
- Harold Metts
- James Doyle (Rhode Island)
- Frank Ciccone
- Daniel DaPonte
- Donna Nesselbush
- Frank DeVall, Jr.
- Roger Picard
- John Tassoni
- Paul Fogarty
- Marc Cote
- Frank Lombardo III
- Beatrice Lanzi
- Hanna Gallo
- Joshua Miller (Rhode Island)
- William Walaska
- Michael McCaffrey (Rhode Island)
- Erin Lynch Prata
- James Sheehan
- V. Susan Sosnowski
- Walter Felag
- Louis DiPalma
- M. Teresa Paiva Weed
- Elizabeth Crowley (Rhode Island)
Republican
Other
Competitiveness
Across the nation, 1,167 state senate seats were up for election in 2010. 1,143 of those seats were partisan seats (24 seats were up for election in Nebraska's nonpartisan unicameral legislature). In 320 (28.0%) of these state senate contests, there was a major party candidate with no major party opposition. In Rhode Island, 13 candidates (34.2% of seats) faced no major party opposition. Of these 13, 12 were Democrats and 1 was a Republican.
Unopposed candidates in general election
The following candidates did not face major party competition:
Democratic
Republican
Ballot Access
Across the nation, 140 independent or third party candidates ran for state senate. In Rhode Island, 2 (3.2%) of the 63 senate candidates ran as an independent or third party candidate. One, Edward O'Neill, won election in the November 2 general election.
Third party candidates
The following is a list of third party and independent candidates who ran in 2010:
House
|
|
Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan• Minnesota • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming |
| Other 2010 Election information |
Rhode Island State House Election Results
This page contains macro-level election results and analysis for the Rhode Island House of Representatives. For results in individual contests, see our Rhode Island House of Representatives elections, 2010. The following is a breakdown of the state house before and after the election:
| Rhode Island House of Representatives | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 1, 2010 | After the 2010 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 69 | 65 | |
| Republican Party | 6 | 10 | |
| Total | 75 | 75 | |
What You'll See on This Page
This page displays the following lists of candidates
- Incumbents who ran on November 2
- Incumbents who were defeated
- Challengers who defeated an incumbent
- Newly elected senators
- List of all winners
- Unopposed candidates
- Third party candidates
State House Overview:
- There were 56 incumbents who ran in the November 2 general election. Only 3 incumbents lost, and thus 53 incumbents were re-elected to the Rhode Island House of Representatives.
- No Republican incumbents lost in the general election, while 3 incumbent Democratic incumbent lost.
- There will be 22 new representatives sworn-in. Of those 22, 18 are Democrats and 4 are Republicans
- Of the 75 seats up for election, 65 were won by Democrats and 10 by Republicans.
- 28 candidates were unopposed, 25 Democrats and 3 Republicans.
- Only 22 candidates ran as an independent or third party candidate in the general election.
Incumbency Analysis
Of the 4,958 state house seats up for election, incumbents ran in the general election for 4,091 (79.5%) of them. Of these 4,091 incumbents, 413 lost their re-election bids, 403 Democrats and 10 Republicans. In Rhode Island, 56 incumbents (74.7%) ran for re-election. Of these 56, 3 incumbent representatives were defeated. All 3 incumbents were Democrats.
Incumbents who ran on November 2
The following is a list of all of the incumbents who ran on the November 2 general election ballot:
- John McCauley, Jr.
- Edith Ajello
- Gordon Fox
- John DeSimone
- Anastasia Williams
- Scott Slater
- John Carnevale
- Charlene Lima
- Grace Diaz
- Peter Palumbo
- Robert Jacquard
- Eileen Naughton
- Frank Ferri
- Robert Flaherty
- Joseph Trillo
- Patricia Serpa
- Arthur Handy
- Joseph McNamara (Rhode Island)
- Scott Guthrie
- Kenneth Carter
- Robert Watson (Rhode Island)
- Donald Lally, Jr.
- Donna Walsh (Rhode Island)
- Samuel Azzinaro
- Brian Kennedy (Rhode Island)
- Scott Pollard
- Laurence Ehrhardt
- Michael Marcello
- Stephen Ucci
- Deborah Fellela
- Peter Petrarca
- Rene Menard
- Lisa Baldelli-Hunt
- Jon Brien
- Brian Newberry
- Karen MacBeth
- Nicholas Mattiello
- Thomas Winfield
- William San Bento, Jr.
- Arthur Corvese
- Gregory Schadone
- Agostinho Silva
- J. Patrick O'Neill
- Elaine Coderre
- John Savage (Rhode Island)
- Jan Malik
- Raymond Gallison, Jr.
- J. Russell Jackson (Rhode Island)
- Mary Messier
- Roberto DaSilva
- Helio Melo
- Joy Hearn
- John Edwards (Rhode Island)
- Amy Rice
- Deborah Ruggiero
- Peter Martin
Incumbents defeated
The following is a list of incumbents defeated on November 2:
| Candidate | Party | District |
|---|---|---|
| Kenneth Carter | ||
| Scott Pollard | ||
| Amy Rice |
Challengers who beat an incumbent
The following is a list of challengers who defeated an incumbent on November 2:
| Candidate | Party | District |
|---|---|---|
| Doreen Costa | ||
| Michael Chippendale | ||
| Daniel Reilly |
New Representatives and General Election Winners
1,345 new representatives were elected across the country. This includes challengers who defeated incumbents as well as candidates who won open seats. Of these 1,345, 988 were Republicans and 357 were Democrats. In Rhode Island, 22 new representatives will be sworn-in. Of those 22, 18 are Democrats and 4 are Republicans. In the 19 open seat contests, Republicans won 1 and Democrats 18. In total, Rhode Island elected 75 representatives, 10 Republicans and 65 Democrats.
Newly elected representatives
The following are the newly-elected members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives:
Democratic
Republican
Open Seat Winners
The following is a list of candidates who won election in seats where no incumbent was running:
Democratic
Republican
Candidates who won election
The following is a list of all candidates elected to the Rhode Island House of Representatives:
Democratic
- John McCauley, Jr.
- Christopher Blazejewski
- Edith Ajello
- Maria Cimini
- Gordon Fox
- John DeSimone
- Anastasia Williams
- Scott Slater
- John Carnevale
- Charlene Lima
- Michael Tarro
- Grace Diaz
- Peter Palumbo
- Robert Jacquard
- David Bennett (Rhode Island)
- Eileen Naughton
- Frank Ferri
- Robert Flaherty
- Patricia Serpa
- Arthur Handy
- Joseph McNamara (Rhode Island)
- Scott Guthrie
- Jared Nunes
- Donald Lally, Jr.
- Teresa Tanzi
- Spencer Dickinson
- Lisa Tomasso
- Donna Walsh (Rhode Island)
- Samuel Azzinaro
- Brian Kennedy (Rhode Island)
- Larry Valencia
- Michael Marcello
- Stephen Ucci
- Deborah Fellela
- Peter Petrarca
- Jeremiah O'Grady
- Rene Menard
- Leo Medina
- Cale Keable
- Lisa Baldelli-Hunt
- Jon Brien
- Nicholas Mattiello
- Thomas Winfield
- James McLaughlin
- William San Bento, Jr.
- Arthur Corvese
- Gregory Schadone
- Agostinho Silva
- J. Patrick O'Neill
- Elaine Coderre
- Jan Malik
- Raymond Gallison, Jr.
- Raymond Johnston Jr.
- J. Russell Jackson (Rhode Island)
- Mary Messier
- Roberto DaSilva
- Helio Melo
- Joy Hearn
- Richard Morrison
- John Edwards (Rhode Island)
- Deborah Ruggiero
- Peter Martin
- Raymond Hull (Rhode Island)
- Robert Phillips
Republican
Competitiveness
Across the nation, 4,958 state house seats were up for election in 2010. In 1,680 (33.9%) of these state house contests, there was a major party candidate with no major party opposition. In Rhode Island, 27 candidates (36.0% of all seats) faced no major party opposition. Of these 27, 24 were Democrats and 3 were Republicans.
Unopposed candidates in general election
The following candidates did not face major party competition:
Democratic
- Anastasia Williams
- Lisa Baldelli-Hunt
- Agostinho Silva
- Arthur Corvese
- Jan Malik
- Christopher Blazejewski
- Donna Walsh (Rhode Island)
- Eileen Naughton
- Frank Ferri
- Gregory Schadone
- Helio Melo
- J. Russell Jackson (Rhode Island)
- James McLaughlin
- John McCauley, Jr.
- Leo Medina
- Maria Cimini
- Michael Tarro
- Robert Flaherty
- Roberto DaSilva
- Stephen Ucci
- Raymond Hull (Rhode Island)
- Robert Phillips
Republican
Ballot Access
In Rhode Island, 22 (15.2%) of the 145 house candidates ran as independent or third party candidates. None won election in the November 2 general election.
Third party candidates
The following is a list of third party and independent candidates who ran in 2010:
National Partisan Trends
|
|
Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan• Minnesota • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming |
| Other 2010 Election information |
National Partisan Trends
The following tables detail the partisan breakdown of national election results. These results provide context for Republican gains in Rhode Island.
Incumbents who were defeated in the general election
Across the nation, only 15 Republican incumbents were defeated while 492 Democratic incumbents were defeated. In total, 507 (10.4%) of the 4,872 incumbents running in the general election were defeated. The following is a breakdown of incumbent defeats in the 2010 general election:
The following is the breakdown of incumbents who lost.
| Incumbents defeated in 2010 legislative elections | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Senate | House | Total |
| Democratic | 89 | 403 | 492 |
| Republican | 5 | 10 | 15 |
| TOTALS | 94 | 413 | 507 |
Total new legislators elected
In total, 1,733 (28.3%) new legislators were elected in 2010. Of these 1,733, 1,266 (73.1%) are Republicans and 467 (26.9%) are Democrats.
The following is the breakdown of new legislators.
| New Legislators after the 2010 legislative elections | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Senate | House | Total |
| Democratic | 110 | 357 | 467 |
| Republican | 278 | 988 | 1,266 |
| TOTALS | 388 | 1,345 | 1,733 |
Winners of Open Seats
Open seats contests made up 1,178 (19.2%) of the 6,125 seats on November 2. Of these 1,178 open seats, Republicans won 729 (61.9%) while Democrats won 449 (38.1%). Going into the election, the number of open seats formerly held by each party was quite similar. Estimates prior to the election suggest that approximately 52% of the open seats were previously held by Republicans and 48% were held by Democrats.
The following is the breakdown of open seat winners.
| Open Seat Winners in 2010 legislative elections | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Senate | House | Total |
| Democratic | 108 | 341 | 449 |
| Republican | 191 | 538 | 729 |
| TOTALS | 299 | 879 | 1,178 |
Impact on legislative majorities
- See also: Partisan balance of state legislatures
Heading into the November 2 elections, the Democratic Party held a commanding lead in state houses in the 88 legislative chambers that held elections in 2010. 52 of the 88 chambers, or nearly 60% of them, had a Democratic majority, while only 33 of them had a Republican majority. (Two chambers had an exactly equal number of Democrats and Republicans and one is officially nonpartisan.) The following is a partisan breakdown of state legislatures prior to the November 2 election:
| Partisan breakdown before the November 2010 Election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legislative chamber | 
|
|
|
|
| State senates | 23 | 18 | 1 | 1 |
| State houses | 29 | 15 | 1 | - |
| Totals: | 52 | 33 | 2 | 1 |
As a result of the election, Republicans picked up 20 legislative chambers while Democrats lost 20. Republicans won 53 total chambers on November 2, while Democrats won only 32. The following is a partisan breakdown of state legislatures after the November 2 election:
| Partisan breakdown after the November 2010 Election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legislative chamber |
|
|
|
|
| State senates | 16 | 25 | 1 | 1 |
| State houses | 16 | 28 | 1 | 0 |
| Totals: | 32 | 53 | 2 | 1 |
Another way to examine the data is to gauge how many chambers had gains for the Democratic Party versus the Republican Party. Using this variable, the wide-sweeping Republican victory is further amplified. Democrats bolstered their majorities in only 7 of 88 (7.96%) state chambers. These legislatures are as follows:
| State legislative chambers where Democrats gained seats on November 2 | ||
|---|---|---|
| State | Chamber | Number of seats gained by Democrats |
| California | Assembly | + 2 |
| Delaware | House | + 2 |
| Hawaii | Senate | + 1 |
| Maryland | Senate | + 2 |
| Massachusetts | Senate | + 1 |
| Missouri | Senate | + 1 |
| West Virginia | Senate | + 1 |
In 7 chambers, the GOP kept their current number of seats. In one chamber, the California State Assembly, both major parties gained seats by filling 2 vacancies and defeating an incumbent independent. Overall, the Republican Party picked up legislative seats in 75 (85.2%) of the 88 legislative chambers that held elections on November 2.
Impact on State Politics
Along with the GOP capture of the U.S. House of Representatives, state Republicans gained trifectas (control of the governorship, house, and senate) in 12 states. The following is a breakdown of trifectas across the nation, before and after the 2010 election:
| Trifectas before and after the 2010 Election | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Before election | U.S. House seats | After election | U.S. House seats | Gain/loss states | Gain/loss congressional seats |
| 16 | 131 | 11 | 115 | -5 | -16 | |
| 8 | 66 | 20 | 198 | +12 | +132 | |
Before the election, 131 U.S House seats were in states with Democratic trifectas, while 66 districts were in states with Republican trifectas. After the election, Republicans trifectas control redistricting for 198 U.S. House seats while Democrats control only 115. Additionally, California, the strongest Democratic trifecta with 53 U.S. House representatives, passed propositions that take redistricting power away from state government.
