Rhode Island lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2026
|
← 2022
|
| Rhode Island Lieutenant Governor |
|---|
 |
| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: June 24, 2026 |
| Primary: September 8, 2026 General: November 3, 2026 |
| How to vote |
| Poll times:
7 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2026 Impact of term limits in 2026 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026 |
| Rhode Island executive elections |
| Governor Lieutenant Governor |
Rhode Island is holding an election for lieutenant governor on November 3, 2026. The primary is September 8, 2026. The filing deadline is June 24, 2026.
For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:
- Rhode Island lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2026 (September 8 Democratic primary)
- Rhode Island lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2026 (September 8 Republican primary)
Candidates and election results
Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:
- Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
- Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies
General election
The primary will occur on September 8, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island
Susan R. Anderbois and Cynthia Armour Coyne are running in the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island on September 8, 2026.
| ||||
 = 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. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Eric Ulis (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island
John Loughlin is running in the Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island on September 8, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | John Loughlin | |
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
Candidate profiles
There are currently no candidate profiles created for this race. Candidate profiles will appear here as they are created. Encourage the candidates in this race to complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey so that their profile will appear here.
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Rhode Island
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Past elections
The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2014.
2022
General election
General election for Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island
Incumbent Sabina Matos defeated Aaron Guckian and Ross McCurdy in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Sabina Matos (D) | 51.2 | 180,909 |
 | Aaron Guckian (R) | 43.1 | 152,458 | |
 | Ross McCurdy (Independent) | 5.5 | 19,507 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 608 | ||
| Total votes: 353,482 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Keith Harrison (Independent)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island
Incumbent Sabina Matos defeated Deborah Ruggiero and Cynthia Mendes in the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island on September 13, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Sabina Matos | 47.1 | 50,704 |
 | Deborah Ruggiero | 33.1 | 35,620 | |
 | Cynthia Mendes | 19.8 | 21,304 | |
| Total votes: 107,628 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Larry Valencia (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island
Aaron Guckian defeated Paul Pence in the Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island on September 13, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Aaron Guckian | 67.7 | 13,427 |
 | Paul Pence | 32.3 | 6,396 | |
| Total votes: 19,823 | |||
| = 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 Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island
Incumbent Daniel McKee defeated Paul Pence, Joel Hellmann, Jonathan Riccitelli, and Ross McCurdy in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Daniel McKee (D) | 61.9 | 226,528 |
| Paul Pence (R) | 29.1 | 106,505 | |
| Joel Hellmann (Moderate Party of Rhode Island Party) | 3.1 | 11,332 | ||
 | Jonathan Riccitelli (Independent) | 2.7 | 9,866 | |
| Ross McCurdy (Independent) | 2.6 | 9,408 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.7 | 2,513 | ||
| Total votes: 366,152 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Zachary Ward (Independent)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island
Incumbent Daniel McKee defeated J. Aaron Regunberg in the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island on September 12, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Daniel McKee | 51.1 | 57,983 |
 | J. Aaron Regunberg | 48.9 | 55,517 | |
| Total votes: 113,500 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island
Paul Pence advanced from the Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island on September 12, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Paul Pence | 100.0 | 25,388 |
| Total votes: 25,388 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Karl Wadensten (R)
2014
Democrat Daniel McKee won the election on November 4, 2014.
| Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Daniel McKee |
54.3% | 169,078 | |
| Republican | Catherine Terry Taylor | 33.8% | 105,305 | |
| Moderate | William Gilbert | 8.3% | 25,951 | |
| Libertarian | Tony Jones | 3.3% | 10,221 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.3% | 906 | |
| Total Votes | 311,461 | |||
| Election results via State of Rhode Island | ||||
Election analysis
Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.
- Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
- Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
- State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
- Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.
Cook PVI by congressional district
| District | Incumbent | PVI |
|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island's 1st | Gabe Amo | D+12 |
| Rhode Island's 2nd | Seth Magaziner | D+4 |
2024 presidential results by 2026 congressional district lines
| District | Kamala Harris  | Donald Trump  |
|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island's 1st | 60.0% | 38.0% |
| Rhode Island's 2nd | 52.0% | 46.0% |
| Source: The Downballot | ||
2016-2024
How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:
| County-level voting pattern categories | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | |||||||
| Status | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | ||||
| Solid Democratic | D | D | D | ||||
| Trending Democratic | R | D | D | ||||
| Battleground Democratic | D | R | D | ||||
| New Democratic | R | R | D | ||||
| Republican | |||||||
| Status | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | ||||
| Solid Republican | R | R | R | ||||
| Trending Republican | D | R | R | ||||
| Battleground Republican | R | D | R | ||||
| New Republican | D | D | R | ||||
Following the 2024 presidential election, 84.4% of Rhode Islanders lived in one of the state's 4 Solid Democratic counties, which voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election from 2016 to 2024, and 15.6% lived in one of 1 Trending Democratic counties. Overall, Rhode Island was Solid Democratic, having voted for Hillary Clinton (D) in 2016, Joe Biden (D) in 2020, and Kamala Harris (D) in 2024. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Rhode Island following the 2024 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.
| Rhode Island county-level statistics, 2024 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Democratic | 4 | 84.4% | |||||
| Trending Democratic | 1 | 15.6% | |||||
| Total voted Democratic | 5 | 100.0% | |||||
| Total voted Republican | 0 | 0.0% | |||||
Historical voting trends
Rhode Island presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 22 Democratic wins
- 10 Republican wins
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | D | D | D | R | D | D | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.
U.S. Senate elections
The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Rhode Island.
Gubernatorial elections
- See also: Governor of Rhode Island
The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Rhode Island.
Congressional delegation
The table below displays the partisan composition of Rhode Island's congressional delegation as of October 2025.
| Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Rhode Island | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | U.S. Senate | U.S. House | Total |
| Democratic | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Republican | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vacancies | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 2 | 4 |
State executive
The table below displays the officeholders in Rhode Island's top four state executive offices as of October 2025.
| Office | Officeholder |
|---|---|
| Governor | Daniel McKee |
| Lieutenant Governor | Sabina Matos |
| Secretary of State | Gregg Amore |
| Attorney General | Peter Neronha |
State legislature
Rhode Island State Senate
| Party | As of October 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 34 | |
| Republican Party | 4 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 38 | |
Rhode Island House of Representatives
| Party | As of October 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 64 | |
| Republican Party | 10 | |
| Other | 1 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 75 | |
Trifecta control
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 |
The table below details demographic data in Rhode Island and compares it to the broader United States as of 2023.
| Demographic Data for Rhode Island | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | United States | |
| Population | 1,097,379 | 331,449,281 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 1,033 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 72.3% | 63.4% |
| Black/African American | 5.8% | 12.4% |
| Asian | 3.5% | 5.8% |
| Native American | 0.4% | 0.9% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.2% | 0.4% |
| Other (single race) | 7.1% | 6.6% |
| Multiple | 10.7% | 10.7% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 17.1% | 19% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 89.5% | 89.4% |
| College graduation rate | 37.3% | 35% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $86,372 | $78,538 |
| Persons below poverty level | 10.9% | 12.4% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2018-2023). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Lieutenant gubernatorial elections in 2026
There are 30 lieutenant gubernatorial seats on the ballot in 2026.
See also
| Rhode Island | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
External links
Footnotes
