United States House elections in Rhode Island, 2020 (September 8 Democratic primaries)
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September 8, 2020 |
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The 2020 U.S. House of Representatives elections in Rhode Island took place on November 3, 2020. Voters elected two candidates to serve in the U.S. House, one from each of the state's two congressional districts. This page focuses on the Democratic primaries that took place in Rhode Island on September 8, 2020.
Click here for more information about the Republican primaries.
| Candidate filing deadline | Primary election | General election |
|---|---|---|
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election.
Rhode Island utilizes a semi-closed primary system. Unaffiliated voters may vote in a party's primary without affiliating with that party. Voters that are affiliated with a party at the time of the primary election may only vote in that party's primary.[1] State law also says: "Whenever an unaffiliated voter participates in a party primary, their party affiliation shall remain unaffiliated."[2]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Candidates
| Candidate ballot access |
|---|
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| Find detailed information on ballot access requirements in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. |
District 1
Democratic primary candidates
- David N. Cicilline (Incumbent) ✔
District 2
Democratic primary candidates
- Jim Langevin (Incumbent) ✔
- Dylan Conley
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
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.[3][4]
| 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. |
| 2016 presidential results by state House district | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Obama | Romney | 2012 Margin | Clinton | Trump | 2016 Margin | Party Control |
| 1 | 77.88% | 19.55% | D+58.3 | 85.45% | 10.33% | D+75.1 | D |
| 2 | 82.10% | 14.94% | D+67.2 | 83.30% | 11.66% | D+71.6 | D |
| 3 | 88.85% | 10.11% | D+78.7 | 83.05% | 13.74% | D+69.3 | D |
| 4 | 81.90% | 15.78% | D+66.1 | 84.03% | 11.98% | D+72.1 | D |
| 5 | 75.85% | 22.86% | D+53 | 70.70% | 25.52% | D+45.2 | D |
| 6 | 70.83% | 27.63% | D+43.2 | 65.10% | 31.15% | D+33.9 | D |
| 7 | 78.56% | 19.57% | D+59 | 75.26% | 20.42% | D+54.8 | D |
| 8 | 85.36% | 11.66% | D+73.7 | 81.34% | 13.96% | D+67.4 | D |
| 9 | 91.76% | 6.92% | D+84.8 | 89.81% | 7.10% | D+82.7 | D |
| 10 | 90.59% | 8.59% | D+82 | 85.57% | 11.51% | D+74.1 | D |
| 11 | 93.26% | 5.08% | D+88.2 | 89.07% | 7.94% | D+81.1 | D |
| 12 | 95.96% | 3.50% | D+92.5 | 91.06% | 6.52% | D+84.5 | D |
| 13 | 76.98% | 21.84% | D+55.1 | 68.85% | 28.14% | D+40.7 | D |
| 14 | 72.42% | 26.13% | D+46.3 | 61.41% | 34.88% | D+26.5 | D |
| 15 | 50.98% | 47.87% | D+3.1 | 40.49% | 55.59% | R+15.1 | D |
| 16 | 58.59% | 40.13% | D+18.5 | 49.24% | 47.00% | D+2.2 | R |
| 17 | 63.08% | 35.32% | D+27.8 | 52.69% | 43.33% | D+9.4 | D |
| 18 | 74.50% | 23.72% | D+50.8 | 69.90% | 25.47% | D+44.4 | D |
| 19 | 64.13% | 33.94% | D+30.2 | 56.26% | 38.78% | D+17.5 | D |
| 20 | 62.11% | 35.83% | D+26.3 | 51.01% | 43.79% | D+7.2 | D |
| 21 | 62.97% | 35.04% | D+27.9 | 47.41% | 47.19% | D+0.2 | D |
| 22 | 60.04% | 38.07% | D+22 | 45.71% | 48.55% | R+2.8 | D |
| 23 | 61.87% | 35.86% | D+26 | 46.92% | 47.65% | R+0.7 | D |
| 24 | 54.45% | 43.97% | D+10.5 | 51.29% | 44.27% | D+7 | D |
| 25 | 60.30% | 36.95% | D+23.3 | 45.51% | 48.92% | R+3.4 | D |
| 26 | 58.69% | 39.60% | D+19.1 | 44.83% | 50.39% | R+5.6 | R |
| 27 | 60.66% | 37.57% | D+23.1 | 46.54% | 48.76% | R+2.2 | D |
| 28 | 55.96% | 42.02% | D+13.9 | 40.92% | 53.78% | R+12.9 | R |
| 29 | 53.11% | 44.78% | D+8.3 | 40.38% | 54.62% | R+14.2 | R |
| 30 | 48.09% | 50.48% | R+2.4 | 51.89% | 43.35% | D+8.5 | R |
| 31 | 53.25% | 44.58% | D+8.7 | 49.38% | 44.64% | D+4.7 | D |
| 32 | 54.65% | 42.99% | D+11.7 | 54.91% | 38.68% | D+16.2 | D |
| 33 | 59.11% | 38.66% | D+20.4 | 56.59% | 37.80% | D+18.8 | D |
| 34 | 62.59% | 35.06% | D+27.5 | 58.84% | 35.04% | D+23.8 | D |
| 35 | 60.99% | 36.81% | D+24.2 | 60.50% | 33.29% | D+27.2 | D |
| 36 | 59.64% | 38.12% | D+21.5 | 54.23% | 40.49% | D+13.7 | I |
| 37 | 56.42% | 42.19% | D+14.2 | 50.60% | 44.83% | D+5.8 | D |
| 38 | 57.83% | 39.99% | D+17.8 | 44.01% | 50.80% | R+6.8 | D |
| 39 | 52.67% | 44.46% | D+8.2 | 41.77% | 52.15% | R+10.4 | R |
| 40 | 50.44% | 47.48% | D+3 | 37.94% | 56.19% | R+18.2 | R |
| 41 | 44.89% | 53.59% | R+8.7 | 35.38% | 60.20% | R+24.8 | R |
| 42 | 58.92% | 39.91% | D+19 | 42.15% | 54.30% | R+12.1 | D |
| 43 | 58.21% | 40.61% | D+17.6 | 41.73% | 54.89% | R+13.2 | D |
| 44 | 49.94% | 48.77% | D+1.2 | 40.47% | 55.06% | R+14.6 | D |
| 45 | 57.34% | 41.19% | D+16.1 | 50.08% | 44.59% | D+5.5 | D |
| 46 | 57.40% | 41.52% | D+15.9 | 49.80% | 45.64% | D+4.2 | D |
| 47 | 54.49% | 43.42% | D+11.1 | 36.29% | 57.69% | R+21.4 | D |
| 48 | 50.29% | 47.86% | D+2.4 | 40.74% | 54.21% | R+13.5 | R |
| 49 | 71.11% | 26.68% | D+44.4 | 59.21% | 35.90% | D+23.3 | D |
| 50 | 62.76% | 35.64% | D+27.1 | 47.15% | 47.01% | D+0.1 | D |
| 51 | 61.36% | 36.93% | D+24.4 | 47.71% | 46.96% | D+0.7 | D |
| 52 | 50.99% | 47.45% | D+3.5 | 49.28% | 45.78% | D+3.5 | D |
| 53 | 51.05% | 47.12% | D+3.9 | 43.76% | 51.38% | R+7.6 | D |
| 54 | 63.50% | 34.68% | D+28.8 | 50.82% | 45.03% | D+5.8 | D |
| 55 | 62.78% | 35.87% | D+26.9 | 50.30% | 46.45% | D+3.9 | D |
| 56 | 87.64% | 11.14% | D+76.5 | 83.70% | 13.17% | D+70.5 | D |
| 57 | 70.43% | 28.46% | D+42 | 61.34% | 34.62% | D+26.7 | D |
| 58 | 81.87% | 17.04% | D+64.8 | 75.91% | 21.45% | D+54.5 | D |
| 59 | 82.88% | 15.73% | D+67.2 | 81.01% | 16.02% | D+65 | D |
| 60 | 77.19% | 21.25% | D+55.9 | 68.84% | 26.69% | D+42.2 | D |
| 61 | 69.97% | 28.19% | D+41.8 | 58.87% | 36.65% | D+22.2 | D |
| 62 | 73.17% | 25.52% | D+47.7 | 62.35% | 33.88% | D+28.5 | D |
| 63 | 68.71% | 29.70% | D+39 | 61.42% | 34.15% | D+27.3 | D |
| 64 | 78.23% | 20.42% | D+57.8 | 64.45% | 30.74% | D+33.7 | D |
| 65 | 67.21% | 31.00% | D+36.2 | 57.16% | 38.34% | D+18.8 | D |
| 66 | 60.33% | 38.05% | D+22.3 | 60.76% | 34.39% | D+26.4 | D |
| 67 | 59.60% | 38.43% | D+21.2 | 59.62% | 35.22% | D+24.4 | D |
| 68 | 61.03% | 37.23% | D+23.8 | 56.44% | 38.30% | D+18.1 | D |
| 69 | 63.40% | 34.93% | D+28.5 | 54.73% | 39.34% | D+15.4 | D |
| 70 | 61.15% | 37.13% | D+24 | 50.97% | 44.04% | D+6.9 | D |
| 71 | 55.50% | 42.77% | D+12.7 | 51.15% | 42.78% | D+8.4 | D |
| 72 | 52.92% | 45.87% | D+7 | 54.31% | 40.56% | D+13.7 | R |
| 73 | 69.84% | 28.60% | D+41.2 | 68.08% | 26.94% | D+41.1 | D |
| 74 | 60.47% | 37.39% | D+23.1 | 58.87% | 35.46% | D+23.4 | D |
| 75 | 63.12% | 35.12% | D+28 | 64.40% | 30.27% | D+34.1 | D |
| Total | 62.90% | 35.35% | D+27.5 | 55.54% | 39.71% | D+15.8 | - |
| Source: Daily Kos | |||||||
See also
- United States House elections in Rhode Island, 2020 (September 8 Republican primaries)
- United States House Democratic Party primaries, 2020
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2020
- U.S. House battlegrounds, 2020
- United States House elections in Rhode Island (September 12, 2018 Republican primaries)
- United States House elections in Rhode Island (September 12, 2018 Democratic primaries)
Footnotes
- ↑ Rhode Island General Assembly, "R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-24," accessed October 29, 2025
- ↑ Rhode Island General Assembly, "R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-9.1-23," accessed October 29, 2025
- ↑ 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
