Rhode Island State Senate elections, 2018
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 7
- Early voting: N/A
- Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 6
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: No
- Voter ID: Photo ID required
- Poll times: 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
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| 2018 Rhode Island Senate elections | |
|---|---|
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| General | November 6, 2018 |
| Primary | September 12, 2018 |
| Past election results |
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| 2018 elections | |
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Democrats held their supermajority in the 2018 elections for Rhode Island State Senate, winning 33 seats to Republicans' five. All 38 Senate seats were up for election. At the time of the election, Democrats held 33 seats to Republicans' four, with one vacancy.
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 State Senate was one of 87 state legislative chambers with elections in 2018. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.
Rhode Island state senators serve two-year terms, with all seats up for election every two years.
For more information about the Democratic primary, click here.
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?
- Incumbents defeated in 2018's state legislative elections
- 2018 election analysis: Partisan balance of state legislative chambers
- 2018 election analysis: Number of state legislators by party
- 2018 election analysis: State legislative supermajorities
Candidates
General election candidates
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection
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]
Margins of victory
A margin of victory (MOV) analysis for the 2018 Rhode Island State Senate 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 State Senate: 2018 Margin of Victory Analysis | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Elections won | Elections won by less than 10% | Unopposed elections | Average margin of victory[2] |
| Democratic |
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| Republican |
||||
 Other |
||||
| Total | ||||
The margin of victory in each race is presented below. The list is sorted from the closest MOV to the largest (including unopposed races).
Seats flipped
The below map displays each seat in the Rhode Island State Senate 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 State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| District | Incumbent | 2018 winner | Direction of flip |
| Rhode Island State Senate District 23 | Paul Fogarty |
Jessica de la Cruz |
D to R |
| Rhode Island State Senate District 35 | Mark Gee |
Bridget Valverde |
R to D |
Incumbents retiring
Five incumbents did not run for re-election in 2018.[3] Those incumbents were:
| Name | Party | Office |
|---|---|---|
| Daniel DaPonte |  Democratic |
Senate District 14 |
| Nicholas Kettle |  Republican |
Senate District 21 |
| Paul Fogarty | Democratic |
Senate District 23 |
| Marc Cote | Democratic |
Senate District 24 |
| Mark Gee | Republican |
Senate District 35 |
Process to become a candidate
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
Article III of the Rhode Island Constitution lays out the requirements for officeholders of Rhode Island's state government.
Salaries and per diem
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[14] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $19,037/year | No per diem is paid. |
When sworn in
Rhode Island legislators assume office the first Tuesday in January.[15]
Rhode Island political history
Party control
2018
In the 2018 elections, Democrats maintained control of the Rhode Island State Senate.
| Rhode Island State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 6, 2018 | After November 7, 2018 | |
| Democratic Party | 33 | 33 | |
| Republican Party | 4 | 5 | |
| Vacancy | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 38 | 38 | |
2016
In the 2016 elections, Democrats gained one seat in the Rhode Island State Senate, going from 32-5-1 to 33-5. The seat gained by Democrats was previously held by an independent representative.
| Rhode Island State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 7, 2016 | After November 8, 2016 | |
| Democratic Party | 32 | 33 | |
| Republican Party | 5 | 5 | |
| Independent | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 38 | 38 | |
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 Democratic 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
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.
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 Senate 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 all 38 state Senate districts in Rhode Island with an average margin of victory of 31.7 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 28 out of 38 state Senate districts in Rhode Island with an average margin of victory of 30.4 points. Clinton won two districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections. |
| In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 10 out of 38 state Senate districts in Rhode Island with an average margin of victory of 9.1 points. Trump won seven districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections. |
| 2016 presidential results by state Senate District | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Obama | Romney | 2012 Margin | Clinton | Trump | 2016 Margin | Party Control |
| 1 | 81.90% | 16.67% | D+65.2 | 77.55% | 18.60% | D+58.9 | D |
| 2 | 92.07% | 6.75% | D+85.3 | 87.48% | 9.50% | D+78 | D |
| 3 | 79.28% | 18.09% | D+61.2 | 84.26% | 11.42% | D+72.8 | D |
| 4 | 65.70% | 32.57% | D+33.1 | 56.08% | 40.23% | D+15.8 | D |
| 5 | 84.17% | 13.46% | D+70.7 | 80.64% | 15.13% | D+65.5 | D |
| 6 | 93.40% | 5.25% | D+88.2 | 89.61% | 7.18% | D+82.4 | D |
| 7 | 76.65% | 22.18% | D+54.5 | 71.35% | 25.45% | D+45.9 | D |
| 8 | 72.65% | 25.69% | D+47 | 63.31% | 32.22% | D+31.1 | D |
| 9 | 60.65% | 37.37% | D+23.3 | 47.08% | 48.31% | R+1.2 | D |
| 10 | 62.36% | 35.98% | D+26.4 | 52.02% | 42.85% | D+9.2 | D |
| 11 | 56.01% | 42.39% | D+13.6 | 53.80% | 40.39% | D+13.4 | D |
| 12 | 58.96% | 39.34% | D+19.6 | 55.75% | 38.59% | D+17.2 | D |
| 13 | 64.91% | 33.19% | D+31.7 | 65.32% | 29.52% | D+35.8 | D |
| 14 | 74.03% | 24.57% | D+49.5 | 61.89% | 33.62% | D+28.3 | D |
| 15 | 79.94% | 18.76% | D+61.2 | 74.61% | 22.24% | D+52.4 | D |
| 16 | 87.62% | 11.53% | D+76.1 | 82.46% | 14.76% | D+67.7 | D |
| 17 | 53.21% | 45.35% | D+7.9 | 45.39% | 50.05% | R+4.7 | R |
| 18 | 67.53% | 30.64% | D+36.9 | 58.36% | 37.09% | D+21.3 | D |
| 19 | 56.83% | 41.77% | D+15.1 | 52.21% | 42.99% | D+9.2 | D |
| 20 | 59.47% | 39.01% | D+20.5 | 49.13% | 45.66% | D+3.5 | D |
| 21 | 49.98% | 48.01% | D+2 | 37.68% | 56.84% | R+19.2 | R |
| 22 | 55.03% | 43.37% | D+11.7 | 44.85% | 50.28% | R+5.4 | D |
| 23 | 52.28% | 45.88% | D+6.4 | 37.76% | 56.66% | R+18.9 | D |
| 24 | 63.41% | 34.77% | D+28.6 | 50.59% | 44.13% | D+6.5 | D |
| 25 | 57.31% | 41.38% | D+15.9 | 41.39% | 55.27% | R+13.9 | D |
| 26 | 55.67% | 43.16% | D+12.5 | 45.34% | 51.26% | R+5.9 | D |
| 27 | 57.34% | 41.37% | D+16 | 47.02% | 48.97% | R+1.9 | D |
| 28 | 72.40% | 25.87% | D+46.5 | 65.57% | 29.97% | D+35.6 | D |
| 29 | 62.47% | 35.66% | D+26.8 | 49.38% | 45.16% | D+4.2 | D |
| 30 | 60.26% | 37.49% | D+22.8 | 47.23% | 47.17% | D+0.1 | D |
| 31 | 59.56% | 38.78% | D+20.8 | 51.95% | 43.48% | D+8.5 | D |
| 32 | 59.73% | 38.62% | D+21.1 | 61.49% | 33.72% | D+27.8 | D |
| 33 | 54.93% | 42.94% | D+12 | 41.16% | 53.59% | R+12.4 | D |
| 34 | 54.91% | 42.36% | D+12.6 | 43.22% | 50.79% | R+7.6 | R |
| 35 | 50.24% | 48.03% | D+2.2 | 52.08% | 43.07% | D+9 | R |
| 36 | 56.14% | 41.49% | D+14.6 | 53.83% | 40.11% | D+13.7 | D |
| 37 | 64.25% | 33.40% | D+30.9 | 62.40% | 31.08% | D+31.3 | D |
| 38 | 57.30% | 41.15% | D+16.2 | 50.18% | 45.13% | D+5.1 | R |
| Total | 62.90% | 35.35% | D+27.5 | 55.54% | 39.71% | D+15.8 | - |
| Source: Daily Kos | |||||||
See also
- Rhode Island State Senate
- Rhode Island State Legislature
- State legislative elections, 2018
- Rhode Island state legislative Democratic primaries, 2018
- Rhode Island state legislative Republican primaries, 2018
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Rhode Island Secretary of State, "Candidates in Upcoming Elections," accessed July 3, 2018
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Excludes unopposed elections
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 4.0 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
- ↑ Rhode Island General Laws, "Title 17, Section 17-14-1," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑ Rhode Island General Laws, "Title 17, Section 17-14-1.1," accessed March 26, 2014
- ↑ Rhode Island General Laws, "Title 17, Section 17-12-4," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑ Rhode Island General Laws, "Title 17, Section 17-12-11," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑ Rhode Island General Laws, "Title 17, Section 17-14-7," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑ Rhode Island General Laws, "Title 17, Section 17-14-4," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑ Rhode Island General Laws, "Title 17, Section 17-14-11," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑ Rhode Island General Laws, "Title 17, Section 17-19-31," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑ Rhode Island Board of Elections, "Procedures for Tabulating and Reporting Write-In Votes," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ Rhode Island Constitution, "Article VI, Section 3," accessed February 17, 2021
- ↑ The number of state legislative seats available for analysis varied, with as many as 7,795 and as few as 6,835.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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
