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Rhode Island House of Representatives elections, 2018

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2020
2016
2018 Rhode Island
House elections
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GeneralNovember 6, 2018
PrimarySeptember 12, 2018
Past election results
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2018 elections
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Democrats expanded their supermajority in the 2018 elections for Rhode Island House of Representatives, winning 66 seats to Republicans' nine. All 75 House seats were up for election. At the time of the election, Democrats held 64 seats to Republicans' 11.

The Democratic Party maintained its trifecta in Rhode Island in 2018 by holding its majorities in the state Senate and House and by retaining the governorship.

The Rhode Island House of Representatives was one of 87 state legislative chambers with elections in 2018. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.

Rhode Island state representatives serve two-year terms, with all seats up for election every two years.

Democratic Party For more information about the Democratic primary, click here.
Republican Party For more information about the Republican primary, click here.

Post-election analysis

See also: State legislative elections, 2018

The Democratic Party maintained supermajority status in both chambers of the Rhode Island General Assembly in the 2018 election. In the state Senate, all 38 seats were up for election. The Democratic supermajority in the Rhode Island State Senate saw no change from 33-4 to 33-5. One seat was vacant before the election. Two Democratic incumbents were defeated in the primary and no incumbents were defeated in the general election.

The Rhode Island House of Representatives held elections for all 75 seats. The Democratic supermajority in the House of Representatives increased from 64-11 to 66-9. One Democratic incumbent was defeated in the primary. Four incumbents were defeated in the general election; one Democrat and three Republicans.

National background

On November 6, 2018, 87 of the nation's 99 state legislative chambers held regularly scheduled elections for 6,073 of 7,383 total seats, meaning that nearly 82 percent of all state legislative seats were up for election.

  • Entering the 2018 election, Democrats held 42.6 percent, Republicans held 56.8 percent, and independents and other parties held 0.6 percent of the seats up for regular election.
  • Following the 2018 election, Democrats held 47.3 percent, Republicans held 52.3 percent, and independents and other parties held 0.4 percent of the seats up for regular election.
  • A total of 469 incumbents were defeated over the course of the election cycle, with roughly one-third of them defeated in the primary.

Want more information?

Candidates

See also: Statistics on state legislative candidates, 2018

General election candidates

Rhode Island House of Representatives general election

  • Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
  • Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
Office Democratic Party Democratic Republican Party Republican Other
District 1

Green check mark transparent.pngEdith Ajello (i)

District 2

Green check mark transparent.pngChristopher Blazejewski (i)

District 3

Green check mark transparent.pngMoira Walsh (i)

District 4

Green check mark transparent.pngRebecca Kislak

Aryeh Yisrael Rosenfield (Independent)

Did not make the ballot:
Christopher Reynolds  (Independent)
David Lallier Jr.  (Independent)

District 5

Green check mark transparent.pngMarcia Ranglin-Vassell (i)

District 6

Green check mark transparent.pngRaymond Hull (i)

District 7

Green check mark transparent.pngDaniel McKiernan (i)

District 8

Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Lombardi (i)

District 9

Green check mark transparent.pngAnastasia Williams (i)

Peter Friedrichs (A Better Rhode Island Party)

Did not make the ballot:
Rosa Marie Hill  (Independent)

District 10

Green check mark transparent.pngScott Slater (i)

District 11

Green check mark transparent.pngGrace Diaz (i)

District 12

Green check mark transparent.pngJoseph Almeida (i)

Luis Vargas (Independent)

District 13

Green check mark transparent.pngMario Mendez

District 14

Green check mark transparent.pngCharlene Lima (i)

District 15

Green check mark transparent.pngNicholas Mattiello (i)

Steve Frias

District 16

Green check mark transparent.pngChristopher Millea

Robert Lancia (i)

District 17

Green check mark transparent.pngRobert Jacquard (i)

District 18

Green check mark transparent.pngArthur Handy (i)

District 19

Green check mark transparent.pngJoseph McNamara (i)

Ruth Page

District 20

Green check mark transparent.pngDavid Bennett (i)

Dan Elliott (Independent)

District 21

Green check mark transparent.pngCamille Vella-Wilkinson (i)

Michael Underwood

District 22

Green check mark transparent.pngJoseph Solomon Jr. (i)

District 23

Green check mark transparent.pngK. Joseph Shekarchi (i)

District 24

Green check mark transparent.pngEvan Shanley (i)

Julie Caiozzo

District 25

Green check mark transparent.pngThomas Noret

Dorinne Albright

District 26

Green check mark transparent.pngJames Jackson

Tammy Collins

Did not make the ballot:
Paul Caianiello  (Independent)

District 27

Green check mark transparent.pngPatricia Serpa (i)

Mark Bourget

District 28

Lucas Murray

Green check mark transparent.pngGeorge Nardone

District 29

Green check mark transparent.pngSherry Roberts (i)

Ernest Nardolillo (Independent)

District 30

Green check mark transparent.pngJustine Caldwell

Antonio Giarrusso (i)

District 31

Green check mark transparent.pngJulie Casimiro (i)

District 32

Green check mark transparent.pngRobert Craven (i)

William Murphy

District 33

Green check mark transparent.pngCarol Hagan McEntee (i)

Deborah Rowley

District 34

Green check mark transparent.pngTeresa Tanzi (i)

Ewa Dzwierzynski (Independent)

District 35

Green check mark transparent.pngKathleen Fogarty (i)

John Brandon Monk (Independent)

District 36

Green check mark transparent.pngBlake Filippi (i)

District 37

Green check mark transparent.pngSamuel Azzinaro (i)

District 38

Green check mark transparent.pngBrian Kennedy (i)

Michael Geary (Independent)

District 39

William Degnan

Green check mark transparent.pngJustin Price (i)

District 40

Lauren Niedel-Gresh

Green check mark transparent.pngMichael Chippendale (i)

District 41

Michael Christopher Steiner  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngRobert Quattrocchi (i)

District 42

Green check mark transparent.pngStephen Ucci (i)

District 43

Green check mark transparent.pngDeborah Fellela (i)

District 44

Green check mark transparent.pngGregory Costantino (i)

District 45

Green check mark transparent.pngMia Ackerman (i)

District 46

Mary Ann Shallcross-Smith

Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Lyle Jr.

John Cullen (Independent)

District 47

Cale Keable (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngDavid Place

District 48

Green check mark transparent.pngBrian Newberry (i)

District 49

Green check mark transparent.pngMichael Morin (i)

District 50

Green check mark transparent.pngStephen Casey (i)

District 51

Green check mark transparent.pngRobert Phillips (i)  Candidate Connection

Rufus Bailey Jr. (Moderate Party of Rhode Island Party)

District 52

Green check mark transparent.pngAlex Marszalkowski (i)

Brandon S. Bell

District 53

Green check mark transparent.pngBernard Hawkins

Richard Poirier

District 54

Green check mark transparent.pngWilliam O'Brien (i)

District 55

Green check mark transparent.pngArthur Corvese (i)

District 56

Green check mark transparent.pngShelby Maldonado (i)

District 57

Green check mark transparent.pngJames McLaughlin (i)

District 58

Green check mark transparent.pngCarlos Tobon (i)

District 59

Green check mark transparent.pngJean Barros (i)

District 60

Green check mark transparent.pngKaren Alzate

District 61

Green check mark transparent.pngRaymond Johnston Jr. (i)

Nathan Luciano

District 62

Green check mark transparent.pngMary Messier (i)

District 63

Green check mark transparent.pngKatherine Kazarian (i)

Did not make the ballot:
Christopher Holland  (Independent)

District 64

Green check mark transparent.pngJose Serodio

District 65

Green check mark transparent.pngGregg Amore (i)

District 66

Green check mark transparent.pngLiana Cassar

Rhonda Holmes

District 67

Green check mark transparent.pngJason Knight (i)

Daryl Gould (Libertarian Party)

Did not make the ballot:
Jan Malik  (Independent)

District 68

Green check mark transparent.pngLaufton Ascencao

William Hunt Jr. (Libertarian Party)

District 69

Green check mark transparent.pngSusan Donovan (i)

Douglas Gablinske (Independent)

District 70

Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Edwards (i)

District 71

Green check mark transparent.pngDennis Canario (i)

District 72

Green check mark transparent.pngTerri-Denise Cortvriend

Kenneth Mendonca (i)

District 73

Green check mark transparent.pngMarvin Abney (i)

David Quiroa Sr.

David Quiroa Jr. (Independent)

District 74

Green check mark transparent.pngDeborah Ruggiero (i)

Rebecca Schiff

District 75

Green check mark transparent.pngLauren Carson (i)

Primary candidates

The candidate list below is based on a candidate filing list provided by the Rhode Island Secretary of State. The filing deadline for the September primary was on June 27, 2018. (I) denotes an incumbent.[1]

Rhode Island House of Representatives primary election

  • Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
  • Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
Office Democratic Party Democratic Republican Party Republican Other
District 1

Green check mark transparent.pngEdith Ajello (i)

District 2

Green check mark transparent.pngChristopher Blazejewski (i)

District 3

Green check mark transparent.pngMoira Walsh (i)
Michael Earnheart

District 4

Green check mark transparent.pngRebecca Kislak
Mark Tracy

District 5

Green check mark transparent.pngMarcia Ranglin-Vassell (i)
Holly Coolman

District 6

Green check mark transparent.pngRaymond Hull (i)

District 7

Green check mark transparent.pngDaniel McKiernan (i)
Belen Florez

District 8

Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Lombardi (i)

District 9

Green check mark transparent.pngAnastasia Williams (i)
Dwayne Keys

District 10

Green check mark transparent.pngScott Slater (i)

District 11

Green check mark transparent.pngGrace Diaz (i)
Laura Perez

District 12

Green check mark transparent.pngJoseph Almeida (i)

District 13

Ramon Perez (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngMario Mendez

Did not make the ballot:
John Carnevale 

District 14

Green check mark transparent.pngCharlene Lima (i)

No candidates filed for the Republican primary


Did not make the ballot:
Ronald Andruchuk 

District 15

Green check mark transparent.pngNicholas Mattiello (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngSteve Frias

District 16

Green check mark transparent.pngChristopher Millea

Green check mark transparent.pngRobert Lancia (i)

District 17

Green check mark transparent.pngRobert Jacquard (i)

District 18

Green check mark transparent.pngArthur Handy (i)

District 19

Green check mark transparent.pngJoseph McNamara (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngRuth Page

District 20

Green check mark transparent.pngDavid Bennett (i)

District 21

Green check mark transparent.pngCamille Vella-Wilkinson (i)

Ronald Loparto
Green check mark transparent.pngMichael Underwood

District 22

Green check mark transparent.pngJoseph Solomon Jr. (i)

District 23

Green check mark transparent.pngK. Joseph Shekarchi (i)

District 24

Green check mark transparent.pngEvan Shanley (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngJulie Caiozzo

District 25

Green check mark transparent.pngThomas Noret

Green check mark transparent.pngDorinne Albright

District 26

Jeanne-Marie Dimasi
Green check mark transparent.pngJames Jackson
Vincent Marzullo

Green check mark transparent.pngTammy Collins

District 27

Green check mark transparent.pngPatricia Serpa (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngMark Bourget

District 28

Scott Guthrie
Green check mark transparent.pngLucas Murray

Green check mark transparent.pngGeorge Nardone
Charles Vacca Jr.

District 29

Green check mark transparent.pngSherry Roberts (i)

District 30

Green check mark transparent.pngJustine Caldwell

Green check mark transparent.pngAntonio Giarrusso (i)

District 31

Green check mark transparent.pngJulie Casimiro (i)

District 32

Green check mark transparent.pngRobert Craven (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngWilliam Murphy

District 33

Green check mark transparent.pngCarol Hagan McEntee (i)
Joseph Manning

Green check mark transparent.pngDeborah Rowley

District 34

Green check mark transparent.pngTeresa Tanzi (i)

District 35

Green check mark transparent.pngKathleen Fogarty (i)

District 36

Green check mark transparent.pngBlake Filippi (i)

District 37

Green check mark transparent.pngSamuel Azzinaro (i)

District 38

Green check mark transparent.pngBrian Kennedy (i)

District 39

Green check mark transparent.pngWilliam Degnan

Did not make the ballot:
Colin Lescroart 

Green check mark transparent.pngJustin Price (i)

District 40

Green check mark transparent.pngLauren Niedel-Gresh

Green check mark transparent.pngMichael Chippendale (i)

District 41

Green check mark transparent.pngMichael Christopher Steiner  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngRobert Quattrocchi (i)

District 42

Green check mark transparent.pngStephen Ucci (i)

No candidates filed for the Republican primary


Did not make the ballot:
Frank Ricci Jr. 

District 43

Green check mark transparent.pngDeborah Fellela (i)

District 44

Green check mark transparent.pngGregory Costantino (i)

District 45

Green check mark transparent.pngMia Ackerman (i)

District 46

Green check mark transparent.pngMary Ann Shallcross-Smith

Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Lyle Jr.

District 47

Green check mark transparent.pngCale Keable (i)
Russel Jennings

Green check mark transparent.pngDavid Place

District 48

Green check mark transparent.pngBrian Newberry (i)

District 49

Green check mark transparent.pngMichael Morin (i)

District 50

Green check mark transparent.pngStephen Casey (i)

District 51

Green check mark transparent.pngRobert Phillips (i)  Candidate Connection

District 52

Green check mark transparent.pngAlex Marszalkowski (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngBrandon S. Bell

District 53

Green check mark transparent.pngBernard Hawkins

Did not make the ballot:
Angelo Rotella 

Green check mark transparent.pngRichard Poirier

District 54

Green check mark transparent.pngWilliam O'Brien (i)

District 55

Green check mark transparent.pngArthur Corvese (i)

District 56

Green check mark transparent.pngShelby Maldonado (i)

District 57

Green check mark transparent.pngJames McLaughlin (i)

District 58

Green check mark transparent.pngCarlos Tobon (i)
Jonathan Vallecilla

District 59

Green check mark transparent.pngJean Barros (i)
David Santagata

District 60

Green check mark transparent.pngKaren Alzate

District 61

Green check mark transparent.pngRaymond Johnston Jr. (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngNathan Luciano

District 62

Green check mark transparent.pngMary Messier (i)

District 63

Green check mark transparent.pngKatherine Kazarian (i)
Elizabeth Clupny

District 64

David O'Connell
Green check mark transparent.pngJose Serodio

Did not make the ballot:
Brian Coogan 

District 65

Green check mark transparent.pngGregg Amore (i)

District 66

Green check mark transparent.pngLiana Cassar
John Chung

Green check mark transparent.pngRhonda Holmes

District 67

Green check mark transparent.pngJason Knight (i)

District 68

Green check mark transparent.pngLaufton Ascencao
Andrew Tyska

District 69

Green check mark transparent.pngSusan Donovan (i)
Leif Nygaard

District 70

Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Edwards (i)

District 71

Green check mark transparent.pngDennis Canario (i)

District 72

Green check mark transparent.pngTerri-Denise Cortvriend

Green check mark transparent.pngKenneth Mendonca (i)

District 73

Green check mark transparent.pngMarvin Abney (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngDavid Quiroa Sr.

District 74

Green check mark transparent.pngDeborah Ruggiero (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngRebecca Schiff

District 75

Green check mark transparent.pngLauren Carson (i)

Margins of victory

See also: Margin of victory analysis for the 2018 state legislative elections

A margin of victory (MOV) analysis for the 2018 Rhode Island House of Representatives races is presented in this section. MOV represents the percentage of total votes that separated the winner and the second-place finisher. For example, if the winner of a race received 47 percent of the vote and the second-place finisher received 45 percent of the vote, the MOV is 2 percent.

The table below presents the following figures for each party:

  • Elections won
  • Elections won by less than 10 percentage points
  • Elections won without opposition
  • Average margin of victory[2]
Rhode Island House of Representatives: 2018 Margin of Victory Analysis
Party Elections won Elections won by less than 10% Unopposed elections Average margin of victory[2]
Democratic Party Democratic
66
8
37
25.6%
Republican Party Republican
9
3
2
13.6%
Grey.png Other
0
0
0
N/A
Total
75
11
39
19.6%



The margin of victory in each race is presented below. The list is sorted from the closest MOV to the largest (including unopposed races).

Rhode Island House of Representatives: 2018 Margin of Victory by District
District Winning Party Losing Party Margin of Victory
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 28
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
0.5%
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 46
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
1.7%
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 30
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
2.3%
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 15
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
5.0%
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 16
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
5.3%
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 53
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
5.4%
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 26
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
6.7%
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 39
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
8.0%
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 72
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
9.2%
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 69
Electiondot.png Democratic
Grey.png Independent
9.5%
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 34
Electiondot.png Democratic
Grey.png Independent
9.6%
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 20
Electiondot.png Democratic
Grey.png Independent
12.5%
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 47
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
13.6%
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 74
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
14.5%
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 21
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
15.2%
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 52
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
17.9%
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 38
Electiondot.png Democratic
Grey.png Independent
19.4%
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 29
Ends.png Republican
Grey.png Independent
21.4%
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 40
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
22.0%
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 25
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
23.7%
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 12
Electiondot.png Democratic
Grey.png Independent
23.7%
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 27
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
24.2%
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 33
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
24.5%
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 66
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
27.1%
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 24
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
27.1%
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 32
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
27.3%
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 41
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
27.7%
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 68
Electiondot.png Democratic
Specialsession.png Libertarian
28.9%
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 19
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
38.1%
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 61
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
38.2%
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 35
Electiondot.png Democratic
Grey.png Independent
39.6%
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 51
Electiondot.png Democratic
Burntorange.png Moderate Party
44.6%
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 67
Electiondot.png Democratic
Specialsession.png Libertarian
50.0%
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 73
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
54.9%
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 9
Electiondot.png Democratic
Grey.png A Better Rhode Island
61.8%
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 4
Electiondot.png Democratic
Grey.png Independent
75.1%
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 1
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 10
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 17
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 18
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 2
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 22
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 23
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 31
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 36
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 37
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 43
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 44
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 45
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 48
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 49
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 50
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 54
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 55
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 56
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 57
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 6
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 60
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 62
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 65
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 70
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 71
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 75
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 8
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 3
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 5
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 7
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 11
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 13
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 14
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 42
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 58
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 59
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 63
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 64
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed


Seats flipped

See also: State legislative seats that changed party control, 2018

The below map displays each seat in the Rhode Island House of Representatives which changed partisan hands as a result of the 2018 elections, shaded according to the partisan affiliation of the winner in 2018. Hover over a shaded district for more information.

State legislative seats flipped in 2018, Rhode Island House of Representatives
District Incumbent 2018 winner Direction of flip
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 16 Republican Party Robert Lancia Democratic Party Christopher Millea R to D
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 26 Republican Party Patricia Morgan Democratic Party James Jackson R to D
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 30 Republican Party Antonio Giarrusso Democratic Party Justine Caldwell R to D
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 46 Democratic Party Jeremiah O'Grady Republican Party John Lyle Jr. D to R
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 47 Democratic Party Cale Keable Republican Party David Place D to R
Rhode Island House of Representatives District 72 Republican Party Kenneth Mendonca Democratic Party Terri-Denise Cortvriend R to D

Incumbents retiring

Ten incumbents did not run for re-election in 2018.[3] Those incumbents were:

Name Party Office
J. Aaron Regunberg Electiondot.png Democratic House District 4
Jared Nunes Electiondot.png Democratic House District 25
Patricia Morgan Ends.png Republican House District 26
Robert Nardolillo Ends.png Republican House District 28
Jeremiah O'Grady Electiondot.png Democratic House District 46
Thomas Winfield Electiondot.png Democratic House District 53
David Coughlin Jr. Electiondot.png Democratic House District 60
Helder Cunha Electiondot.png Democratic House District 64
Joy Hearn Electiondot.png Democratic House District 66
Kenneth Marshall Electiondot.png Democratic House District 68

Process to become a candidate

See also: Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Rhode Island

DocumentIcon.jpg See statutes: Rhode Island General Laws, Title 17, Chapter 14

In Rhode Island, all candidates must adhere to the same filing procedure, regardless of partisan affiliation. First, a candidate must file a declaration of candidacy. A candidate for statewide or federal office must submit this form to the Rhode Island Secretary of State. A candidate for the state legislature must file the declaration with the local board of canvassers in the city or town where he or she is registered to vote. Declarations of candidacy may be filed during the last consecutive Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday in June of the election year.[4][5]

A party candidate uses the declaration of candidacy to declare partisan affiliation, as well. If a candidate belongs to a party but wishes to run under a different party label, he or she must disaffiliate from the original party 90 days prior to filing the declaration of candidacy. Party-affiliated candidates may choose to run as independent candidates. Likewise, unaffiliated candidates may file as party candidates. Once they do, they automatically become members of the party.[4][6]

In Rhode Island, political party officials may designate candidates to represent their parties in primaries and general elections. Such designations are called endorsements. A party's state committee is responsible for making endorsements for federal and statewide candidates; senatorial and representative district committees make endorsements for state legislative candidates. A majority of the committee's members must sign an endorsement form in order to endorse a particular candidate. Endorsements by district committees must be made by 4:00 p.m. on the day after the last day of the filing period. Endorsements by the state committee must be made by 4:00 p.m. on the second day after the final day of the filing period.[4][7][8]

Regardless of endorsement status, a candidate for federal, statewide, or state legislative office must collect signatures on nomination papers, which are issued after the candidate submits his or her declaration of candidacy. Signature requirements are the same for political party candidates as they are for unaffiliated candidates. Nomination papers become available within two business days of the final date for filing endorsements. Signature requirements are summarized in the table below.[4][9][10]

Nomination paper signature requirements
Office Signatures required
Governor, United States Senator 1,000
United States Representative, lieutenant governor, attorney general, treasurer, secretary of state 500
State senator 100
State representative 50

Each sheet of a nomination paper can include only signatures from voters residing in the same city or town. Papers are due to the appropriate local board of canvassers by 4:00 p.m. on the 60th day preceding the primary.[4][11]

Write-in candidates

Write-in candidates do not need to file special paperwork in order to have their votes tabulated. However, write-in candidates engaged in campaign activities may be required to comply with the state's campaign finance laws.[12][13]

Qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

Article III of the Rhode Island Constitution describes the requirements to hold office.

Salaries and per diem

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
State legislative salaries, 2024[14]
SalaryPer diem
$19,037/yearNo per diem is paid.

When sworn in

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

Rhode Island legislators assume office the first Tuesday in January.[15]

Rhode Island political history

See also: Partisan composition of state houses and State government trifectas

Party control

2018

In the 2018 elections, Democrats increased their majority in the Rhode Island House of Representatives from 64-11 to 66-9.

Rhode Island House of Representatives
Party As of November 6, 2018 After November 7, 2018
     Democratic Party 64 66
     Republican Party 11 9
Total 75 75

2016

In the 2016 elections, Democrats increased their majority in the Rhode Island House of Representatives from 62-12-1 to 64-10-1.

Rhode Island House of Representatives
Party As of November 7, 2016 After November 8, 2016
     Democratic Party 61 64
     Republican Party 12 10
     Independent 1 1
     Vacancy 1 0
Total 75 75

Trifectas

A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. Democrats in Rhode Island gained a state government trifecta after Governor Lincoln Chafee switched his party affiliation from independent to Democrat in 2013. Chafee was elected to office in 2010, succeeding Republican Governor Donald Carcieri.

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

Wave election analysis

See also: Wave elections (1918-2016)

The term wave election is frequently used to describe an election cycle in which one party makes significant electoral gains. How many seats would Republicans have had to lose for the 2018 midterm election to be considered a wave election?

Ballotpedia examined the results of the 50 election cycles that occurred between 1918 and 2016—spanning from President Woodrow Wilson's (D) second midterm in 1918 to Donald Trump's (R) first presidential election in 2016. We define wave elections as the 20 percent of elections in that period resulting in the greatest seat swings against the president's party.

Applying this definition to state legislative elections, we found that Republicans needed to lose 494 seats for 2018 to qualify as a wave election.

The chart below shows the number of seats the president's party lost in the 10 state legislative waves from 1918 to 2016. Click here to read the full report.

State legislative wave elections
Year President Party Election type State legislative seats change Elections analyzed[16]
1932 Hoover R Presidential -1,022 7,365
1922 Harding R First midterm -907 6,907
1966 Johnson D First midterm[17] -782 7,561
1938 Roosevelt D Second midterm -769 7,179
1958 Eisenhower R Second midterm -702 7,627
2010 Obama D First midterm -702 7,306
1974 Ford R Second midterm[18] -695 7,481
1920 Wilson D Presidential -654 6,835
1930 Hoover R Presidential -640 7,361
1954 Eisenhower R First midterm -494 7,513

Competitiveness

Every year, Ballotpedia uses official candidate lists from each state to examine the competitiveness of every state legislative race in the country. Nationally, there has been a steady decline in electoral competitiveness since 2010. Most notable is that the number of districts with general election competition has dropped by more than 10 percent.

Results from 2016

Click here to read the full study »


Historical context

See also: Competitiveness in State Legislative Elections: 1972-2014

Uncontested elections: In 2014, 32.8 percent of Americans lived in states with an uncontested state senate election. Similarly, 40.4 percent of Americans lived in states with uncontested house elections. Primary elections were uncontested even more frequently, with 61 percent of people living in states with no contested primaries. Uncontested elections often occur in locations that are so politically one-sided that the result of an election would be a foregone conclusion regardless of whether it was contested or not.

F5 Pop. % with uncontested state legislative races.png

Open seats: In most cases, an incumbent will run for re-election, which decreases the number of open seats available. In 2014, 83 percent of the 6,057 seats up for election saw the incumbent running for re-election. The states that impose term limits on their legislatures typically see a higher percentage of open seats in a given year because a portion of incumbents in each election are forced to leave office. Overall, the number of open seats decreased from 2012 to 2014, dropping from 21.2 percent in 2012 to 17.0 percent in 2014.

Incumbent win rates: Ballotpedia's competitiveness analysis of elections between 1972 and 2014 documented the high propensity for incumbents to win re-election in state legislative elections. In fact, since 1972, the win rate for incumbents had not dropped below 90 percent—with the exception of 1974, when 88 percent of incumbents were re-elected to their seats. Perhaps most importantly, the win rate for incumbents generally increased over time. In 2014, 96.5 percent of incumbents were able to retain their seats. Common convention holds that incumbents are able to leverage their office to maintain their seat. However, the high incumbent win rate may actually be a result of incumbents being more likely to hold seats in districts that are considered safe for their party.

Marginal primaries: Often, competitiveness is measured by examining the rate of elections that have been won by amounts that are considered marginal (5 percent or less). During the 2014 election, 90.1 percent of primary and general election races were won by margins higher than 5 percent. Interestingly, it is usually the case that only one of the two races—primary or general—will be competitive at a time. This means that if a district's general election is competitive, typically one or more of the district's primaries were won by more than 5 percent. The reverse is also true: If a district sees a competitive primary, it is unlikely that the general election for that district will be won by less than 5 percent. Primaries often see very low voter turnout in comparison to general elections. In 2014, there were only 27 million voters for state legislative primaries, but approximately 107 million voters for the state legislative general elections.

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.[19][20]

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.


See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. Rhode Island Secretary of State, "Candidates in Upcoming Elections," accessed July 3, 2018
  2. 2.0 2.1 Excludes unopposed elections
  3. Ballotpedia defines an incumbent as retiring if the incumbent did not file for office or filed for office but withdrew, was disqualified, or otherwise left a race in a manner other than losing the primary, primary runoff, or convention. If an incumbent runs as a write-in candidate, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring. If an incumbent runs in the same chamber for a different seat, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Rhode Island Secretary of State, "Rhode Island: How to Run for Office 2024," accessed April 29, 2025
  5. Rhode Island General Laws, "Title 17, Section 17-14-1," accessed April 29, 2025
  6. Rhode Island General Laws, "Title 17, Section 17-14-1.1," accessed March 26, 2014
  7. Rhode Island General Laws, "Title 17, Section 17-12-4," accessed April 29, 2025
  8. Rhode Island General Laws, "Title 17, Section 17-12-11," accessed April 29, 2025
  9. Rhode Island General Laws, "Title 17, Section 17-14-7," accessed April 29, 2025
  10. Rhode Island General Laws, "Title 17, Section 17-14-4," accessed April 29, 2025
  11. Rhode Island General Laws, "Title 17, Section 17-14-11," accessed April 29, 2025
  12. Rhode Island General Laws, "Title 17, Section 17-19-31," accessed April 29, 2025
  13. Rhode Island Board of Elections, "Procedures for Tabulating and Reporting Write-In Votes," accessed April 29, 2025
  14. National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
  15. Rhode Island Constitution, "Article VI, Section 3," accessed February 17, 2021
  16. The number of state legislative seats available for analysis varied, with as many as 7,795 and as few as 6,835.
  17. Lyndon Johnson's (D) first term began in November 1963 after the death of President John F. Kennedy (D), who was first elected in 1960. Before Johnson had his first midterm in 1966, he was re-elected president in 1964.
  18. Gerald Ford's (R) first term began in August 1974 following the resignation of President Richard Nixon (R), who was first elected in 1968 and was re-elected in 1972. Because Ford only served for two full months before facing the electorate, this election is classified as Nixon's second midterm.
  19. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  20. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017


Leadership
Speaker of the House:K. Shekarchi
Majority Leader:Christopher Blazejewski
Minority Leader:Michael Chippendale
Representatives
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Earl Read (D)
District 27
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Jon Brien (I)
District 50
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Democratic Party (64)
Republican Party (10)
Independent (1)