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Rhode Island State Senate District 27

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Rhode Island State Senate District 27
Incumbent
Assumed office: 1999

Rhode Island State Senate District 27 is represented by Hanna Gallo (D).

As of the 2020 Census, Rhode Island state senators represented an average of 28,899 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 27,770 residents.

About the chamber

Members of the Rhode Island State Senate serve two-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Rhode Island legislators assume office the first Tuesday in January.[1]

Qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

A candidate for the Rhode Island General Assembly must:[2]

  • Be a U.S. citizen
  • Be a registered voter
  • Be at least 18 years of age
  • Be a state resident for at least 30 days preceding the election
  • Be a resident of the district the candidate is running to represent


Salaries

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
State legislative salaries, 2024[3]
SalaryPer diem
$19,037/yearNo per diem is paid.

Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

If there is a vacancy in the Rhode Island General Assembly, a special election must be held to fill the vacant seat. The secretary of state must call for an election to be held anywhere from 70 to 90 days after the vacancy occurred. No election can be held if the vacancy happens after the first Monday in February during an election year. The person elected to fill the seat serves for the remainder of the unfilled term.[4]

DocumentIcon.jpg See sources: Rhode Island Gen. Laws § 17-3-6


2016 pivot county

206 Pivot Counties Logo.png
See also: Pivot Counties and Legislative districts intersecting with Pivot Counties

This district was one of 710 state legislative districts that, based on boundaries adopted after the 2010 census, intersected with one or more Pivot Counties. These 206 Pivot Counties voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012.

The 206 Pivot Counties were located in 34 states. Iowa, with 31, had the most such counties. At that time, the partisan makeup of state legislative districts intersecting with Pivot Counties was slightly more Republican than the overall partisan makeup of state legislatures throughout the country.[5]

District map

Redistricting

2020 redistricting cycle

See also: Redistricting in Rhode Island after the 2020 census

Rhode Island enacted new legislative district boundaries on February 16, 2022, when Gov. Dan McKee (D) signed redistricting legislation approved by the General Assembly. The State House of Representatives passed the new maps by a vote of 57-6 and the State Senate approved them, 29-9, on February 15, 2022. In a press release issued after Gov. McKee signed the legislation, State Representative Robert Phillips (D), co-chair of the state's legislative Reapportionment Commission, said, "It was an honor and pleasure to work with such a dedicated group of individuals on this commission. I’m particularly proud of the fact that we obtained so much input from citizens around the state, holding our meetings in several cities and towns to make it more accessible to everyone. Reapportionment can be daunting and complex, but I’m glad we took everyone’s concerns into account and came up with a fair and equitable system of reapportionment.”[6][7][8][9]

The Providence Journal's Patrick Anderson and Katherine Gregg wrote "Although some district boundaries changed a lot, the new maps did not put any incumbent General Assembly members in the same district, forcing them to run against each other. But the maps did draw some would-be challengers out of their current districts, potentially protecting incumbents from a tough reelection battle.[10] Edward Fitzpatrick of the Boston Globe wrote that "critics have said both Democratic and Republican incumbents were allowed to shape their districts during private meetings with the state’s long-time redistricting consultant."[11]

How does redistricting in Rhode Island work? In Rhode Island, both congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by the Rhode Island General Assembly. These lines are subject to veto by the governor.[12]

An 18-member advisory commission established in 2011 can recommend congressional and state legislative redistricting plans to the state legislature. The legislature may "adopt, modify, or ignore the commission's proposals." The composition of the commission is as follows:[12]

  1. The majority leader of the Rhode Island State Senate chooses four commissioners who are state legislators and three who are not, for a total of seven commissioners.
  2. The majority leader of the Rhode Island House of Representatives chooses four commissioners who are state legislators and three who are not, for a total of seven commissioners.
  3. The minority leader of the Rhode Island State Senate chooses two commissioners who are state legislators.
  4. The minority leader of the Rhode Island House of Representatives chooses two commissioners who are state legislators.

The Rhode Island Constitution requires that state legislative districts be compact.[12]

State statutes require that congressional and state legislative districts meet the following criteria:[12]

  1. Districts should be contiguous.
  2. Districts should "reflect natural, historical, geographical, and municipal and other political lines, 'as well as the right of all Rhode Islanders to fair representation and equal access to the political process.'"
  3. "The lines of state House, state Senate and congressional districts [should] coincide–or at least, if they do not overlap completely, they should avoid creating voting precincts with distinct ballot options where the precinct has fewer than 100 people."

Rhode Island State Senate District 27
until January 2, 2023

Click a district to compare boundaries.

Rhode Island State Senate District 27
starting January 3, 2023

Click a district to compare boundaries.

Elections

2024

See also: Rhode Island State Senate elections, 2024

General election

General election for Rhode Island State Senate District 27

Incumbent Hanna Gallo won election in the general election for Rhode Island State Senate District 27 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Hanna Gallo
Hanna Gallo (D)
 
94.2
 
11,554
 Other/Write-in votes
 
5.8
 
715

Total votes: 12,269
Candidate Connection = 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 27

Incumbent Hanna Gallo advanced from the Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 27 on September 10, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Hanna Gallo
Hanna Gallo
 
100.0
 
1,348

Total votes: 1,348
Candidate Connection = 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.

2022

See also: Rhode Island State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for Rhode Island State Senate District 27

Incumbent Hanna Gallo won election in the general election for Rhode Island State Senate District 27 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Hanna Gallo
Hanna Gallo (D)
 
92.6
 
8,432
 Other/Write-in votes
 
7.4
 
670

Total votes: 9,102
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 27

Incumbent Hanna Gallo advanced from the Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 27 on September 13, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Hanna Gallo
Hanna Gallo
 
100.0
 
2,500

Total votes: 2,500
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

No Republican candidates ran in the primary.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2020

See also: Rhode Island State Senate elections, 2020

General election

General election for Rhode Island State Senate District 27

Incumbent Hanna Gallo defeated Pat Cortellessa and Jonathan Keith in the general election for Rhode Island State Senate District 27 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Hanna Gallo
Hanna Gallo (D)
 
54.7
 
8,080
Image of Pat Cortellessa
Pat Cortellessa (R) Candidate Connection
 
39.7
 
5,866
Jonathan Keith (Independent)
 
5.5
 
813
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
16

Total votes: 14,775
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 27

Incumbent Hanna Gallo advanced from the Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 27 on September 8, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Hanna Gallo
Hanna Gallo
 
100.0
 
2,273

Total votes: 2,273
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 27

Pat Cortellessa advanced from the Republican primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 27 on September 8, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Pat Cortellessa
Pat Cortellessa Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
1,381

Total votes: 1,381
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2018

General election

General election for Rhode Island State Senate District 27

Incumbent Hanna Gallo defeated Jonathan Keith in the general election for Rhode Island State Senate District 27 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Hanna Gallo
Hanna Gallo (D)
 
60.5
 
7,045
Image of Jonathan Keith
Jonathan Keith (R)
 
39.4
 
4,588
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
15

Total votes: 11,648
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 27

Incumbent Hanna Gallo advanced from the Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 27 on September 12, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Hanna Gallo
Hanna Gallo
 
100.0
 
2,135

Total votes: 2,135
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 27

Jonathan Keith advanced from the Republican primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 27 on September 12, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Jonathan Keith
Jonathan Keith
 
100.0
 
1,303

Total votes: 1,303
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2016

See also: Rhode Island State Senate elections, 2016

Elections for the Rhode Island State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on September 13, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was June 29, 2016.

Incumbent Hanna Gallo defeated Jonathan Keith in the Rhode Island State Senate District 27 general election.[13][14]

Rhode Island State Senate, District 27 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Hanna Gallo Incumbent 55.73% 7,276
     Republican Jonathan Keith 44.27% 5,779
Total Votes 13,055
Source: Rhode Island Board of Elections


Incumbent Hanna Gallo ran unopposed in the Rhode Island State Senate District 27 Democratic primary.[15][16]

Rhode Island State Senate, District 27 Democratic Primary, 2016
Party Candidate
    Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Hanna Gallo Incumbent (unopposed)


Jonathan Keith ran unopposed in the Rhode Island State Senate District 27 Republican primary.[15][16]

Rhode Island State Senate, District 27 Republican Primary, 2016
Party Candidate
    Republican Green check mark transparent.png Jonathan Keith  (unopposed)

2014

See also: Rhode Island State Senate elections, 2014

Elections for the Rhode Island State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on September 9, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 25, 2014. Incumbent Hanna Gallo was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while Sara Sweeney was unopposed in the Republican primary. Gallo defeated Sweeney in the general election.[17][18][19]

Rhode Island State Senate, District 27, General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngHanna Gallo Incumbent 61% 6,162
     Republican Sara Sweeney 39% 3,942
Total Votes 10,104

2012

See also: Rhode Island State Senate elections, 2012

Elections for the Rhode Island State Senate consisted of a primary election on September 11, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 27, 2012. Incumbent Hanna Gallo (D) defeated Robert B. Lancia (R) and Aram G. Garabedian (I) in the general election. Gallo and Lancia were unopposed in their respective primaries.[20][21]

Rhode Island State Senate, District 27, General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngHanna Gallo Incumbent 46.6% 5,872
     Independent Aram G. Garabedian 33.5% 4,227
     Republican Robert B. Lancia 19.7% 2,486
     Other Write-in 0.1% 18
Total Votes 12,603

Campaign contributions

From 2000 to 2024, candidates for Rhode Island State Senate District 27 raised a total of $641,744. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $26,739 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money

Campaign contributions, Rhode Island State Senate District 27
Year Amount Candidates Average
2024 $103,579 1 $103,579
2022 $53,867 1 $53,867
2020 $63,085 2 $31,543
2018 $43,807 2 $21,904
2016 $55,468 2 $27,734
2014 $39,925 2 $19,963
2012 $103,563 3 $34,521
2010 $25,480 2 $12,740
2008 $23,835 1 $23,835
2006 $39,027 2 $19,514
2004 $77,180 2 $38,590
2002 $6,480 2 $3,240
2000 $6,448 2 $3,224
Total $641,744 24 $26,739


See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. Rhode Island Constitution, "Article VI, Section 3," accessed February 17, 2021
  2. Rhode Island Secretary of State, "Are You Eligible?" accessed May 23, 2025
  3. National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
  4. Rhode Island General Laws, "Title 17 Elections; Chapter 3 General Assembly Members; § 17-3-6. Vacancy in general assembly — Special elections," accessed February 3, 2023
  5. The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
  6. State of Rhode Island General Assembly, "Bill to reapportion House, Senate, congressional districts signed into law," accessed February 18, 2022
  7. State of Rhode Island General Assembly, "2022 House Journals - February 15th," accessed February 18, 2022
  8. State of Rhode Island General Assembly, "House Floor Votes for 2/15/2022," accessed February 18, 2022
  9. State of Rhode Island General Assembly, "Legislative Status Report - Senate Bill No. 2162 SUB A as amended," accessed February 18, 2022
  10. The Providence Journal, "Redistricting maps: General Assembly approves new Rhode Island political boundaries," February 15, 2022
  11. Boston Globe, "Assembly votes for final House, Senate, congressional maps," February 15, 2022
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 All About Redistricting, "Rhode Island," accessed May 7, 2015
  13. Rhode Island Secretary of State, "2016 Candidate Search," accessed October 5, 2016
  14. Rhode Island Board of Elections, "2016 general election results," accessed January 19, 2017
  15. 15.0 15.1 Rhode Island Secretary of State, "2016 Candidate Search," accessed June 30, 2016
  16. 16.0 16.1 Rhode Island Board of Elections, "2016 Statewide Primary," accessed October 14, 2016
  17. Rhode Island Secretary of State, "Candidates for Senator in General Assembly," accessed June 30, 2014
  18. Rhode Island Secretary of State, "2014 Statewide Primary Results: Senator in General Assembly," accessed September 26, 2014
  19. Rhode Island Board of Elections, "Official 2014 general election results," accessed December 4, 2014
  20. Rhode Island Secretary of State, "Official General Election Results," accessed October 30, 2013
  21. Rhode Island Secretary of State - Official Primary Election Results


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
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
Sam Bell (D)
District 6
District 7
District 8
Lori Urso (D)
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
Dawn Euer (D)
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
District 26
District 27
District 28
District 29
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35
District 36
District 37
District 38
Democratic Party (34)
Republican Party (4)