United States Senate election in Rhode Island (September 12, 2018 Democratic primary)
- 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.
2020 →
← 2014
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| U.S. Senate, Rhode Island |
|---|
 |
| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: June 27, 2018 |
| Primary: September 12, 2018 General: November 6, 2018 Pre-election incumbent: Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat) |
| How to vote |
| Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting in Rhode Island |
| Race ratings |
Inside Elections: Solid Democratic Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Democratic |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018 |
| See also |
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd Rhode Island elections, 2018 U.S. Congress elections, 2018 U.S. Senate elections, 2018 U.S. House elections, 2018 |
A Democratic Party primary election took place on September 12, 2018, in Rhode Island to determine which Democrat would run in the state's November 6, 2018, general election.
Incumbent Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D) won his re-election bid in 2012 by 30 points after running unopposed in the Democratic primary that year. As of March 2018, his campaign raised over $4.98 million in total receipts and had more than $3.1 million cash on hand.[1]
In May, 2018, former independent governor of Rhode Island, Lincoln Chafee, announced that he was considering challenging Whitehouse for the Democratic nomination in the race.[2] Chafee held the Senate seat as a Republican from 1999 to 2007 and lost the seat to Whitehouse in the 2006 general election.
On May 27, 2018, Chafee announced that he would not enter the race.[3]
This page focuses on the Democratic primary. For an overview of the election in general, click here.
Candidates and election results
Incumbent Sheldon Whitehouse defeated Patricia Fontes in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Rhode Island on September 12, 2018.
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Rhode Island
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Sheldon Whitehouse | 76.8 | 89,140 |
 | Patricia Fontes | 23.2 | 26,947 | |
| Total votes: 116,087 | |||
 = 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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Campaign finance
The table below contains data from FEC Quarterly October 2017 reports. It includes only candidates who reported at least $10,000 in campaign contributions as of September 30, 2017.[4]
Democrats
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.[5][6]
| 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 | |||||||
State overview
Partisan control
This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Rhode Island heading into the 2018 elections.
Congressional delegation
- Following the 2016 elections, Democrats held both U.S. Senate seats in Rhode Island.
- Democrats held two of two U.S. House seats in Rhode Island.
State executives
- As of September 2018, Democrats held five of 12 state executive positions and the remaining seven positions were officially nonpartisan.
- The governor of Rhode Island was Democrat Gina Raimondo. The state held elections for governor on November 6, 2018.
State legislature
- Democrats controlled both chambers of the Rhode Island General Assembly. They had a 64-11 majority in the state House and a 33-4 majority in the state Senate.
Trifecta status
- Rhode Island was under a Democratic state government trifecta, meaning Democrats held the governorship, a majority in the state senate, and a majority in the state house.
2018 elections
- See also: Rhode Island elections, 2018
Rhode Island held elections for the following positions in 2018:
- U.S. Senate
- U.S. House
- Governor
- Other state executive
- State Senate
- State House
- Special state legislative
Demographics
| Demographic data for Rhode Island | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 1,055,607 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 1,034 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 81.1% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 6.5% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 3.2% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.5% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.8% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 13.6% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 86.2% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 31.9% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $56,852 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 17.3% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Rhode Island. **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. | ||
As of July 2016, Rhode Island's three largest cities were Providence (pop. est. 180,000), Cranston (pop. est. 81,000), and Warwick (pop. est. 81,000).[7]
State election history
This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Rhode Island from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the Rhode Island State Board of Elections.
Historical elections
Presidential elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Rhode Island every year from 2000 to 2016.
| Election results (President of the United States), Rhode Island 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2016 | Hillary Clinton |
54.4% |  Donald Trump |
38.9% | 15.5% |
| 2012 | Barack Obama |
62.7% | Mitt Romney |
35.2% | 27.5% |
| 2008 | Barack Obama |
62.9% | John McCain |
35.1% | 27.8% |
| 2004 | John Kerry |
59.4% | George W. Bush |
38.7% | 20.7% |
| 2000 | Al Gore |
61.0% | George W. Bush |
31.9% | 29.1% |
U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Rhode Island from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.
| Election results (U.S. Senator), Rhode Island 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2014 | John Reed |
70.6% | Mark Zaccaria |
29.3% | 41.3% |
| 2012 | Sheldon Whitehouse |
64.8% | Barry Hinckley |
35.0% | 29.8% |
| 2008 | John Reed |
73.1% | Bob Tingle |
26.5% | 46.6% |
| 2006 | Sheldon Whitehouse |
53.4% | Lincoln Chafee |
46.3% | 7.1% |
| 2002 | John Reed |
78.4% | Bob Tingle |
21.6% | 56.8% |
| 2000 | Lincoln Chafee |
56.9% | Robert Weygand |
41.2% | 15.7% |
Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Rhode Island.
| Election results (Governor), Rhode Island 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2014 | Gina Raimondo |
40.7% | Allan Fung |
36.2% | 4.5% |
| 2010 |  Lincoln Chafee |
36.1% | John Robitaille |
33.6% | 2.5% |
| 2006 | Don Carcieri |
51.0% | Charles Forgerty |
48.9% | 2.1% |
| 2002 | Don Carcieri |
54.8% | Myrth York |
45.2% | 9.6% |
Congressional delegation, 2000-2016
This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Rhode Island in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.
| Congressional delegation, Rhode Island 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Republicans | Republicans (%) | Democrats | Democrats (%) | Balance of power |
| 2016 | 2 |
100.0% | 0 |
0.0% | D+2 |
| 2014 | 2 |
100.0% | 0 |
0.0% | D+2 |
| 2012 | 2 |
100.0% | 0 |
0.0% | D+2 |
| 2010 | 2 |
100.0% | 0 |
0.0% | D+2 |
| 2008 | 2 |
100.0% | 0 |
0.0% | D+2 |
| 2006 | 2 |
100.0% | 0 |
0.0% | D+2 |
| 2004 | 2 |
100.0% | 0 |
0.0% | D+2 |
| 2002 | 2 |
100.0% | 0 |
0.0% | D+2 |
| 2000 | 2 |
100.0% | 0 |
0.0% | D+2 |
Trifectas, 1992-2017
A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.
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 |
See also
- United States Senate election in Rhode Island, 2018
- United States Senate election in Rhode Island (September 12, 2018 Republican primary)
- United States Senate elections, 2018
- United States House of Representatives elections in Rhode Island, 2018
Footnotes
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Candidates for Senate," accessed May 24, 2018
- ↑ Politico, "Lincoln Chafee says he’ll ‘very likely’ challenge Whitehouse in Senate primary," April 25, 2018
- ↑ GoLocalProv, "EXCLUSIVE: Chafee Out of U.S. Senate Race," May 29, 2018
- ↑ FEC, "Federal Election Commission," accessed November 5, 2017
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Rhode Island Demographics, "Rhode Island Cities by Population," accessed September 8, 2018
