Walter Berbrick
Walter Berbrick (Democratic Party) ran in a special election to the U.S. House to represent Rhode Island's 1st Congressional District. He lost in the special Democratic primary on September 5, 2023.
Berbrick completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Walter Berbrick was born in Miami, Florida. He served in the U.S. Navy from 2006 to 2016. Berbrick earned a bachelor's degree from Saint Peter's University in 2006, a graduate degree from Salve Regina University in 2008, and a Ph.D. from Northeastern University in 2012. His career experience includes working as an educator.[1]
Berbrick has been affiliated with the following organizations:[1]
- American Red Cross
- Council on Foreign Relations
Elections
2023
See also: Rhode Island's 1st Congressional District special election, 2023
Rhode Island's 1st Congressional District special election, 2023 (September 5 Democratic primary)
Rhode Island's 1st Congressional District special election, 2023 (September 5 Republican primary)
General election
Special general election for U.S. House Rhode Island District 1
Gabe Amo defeated Gerry Leonard in the special general election for U.S. House Rhode Island District 1 on November 7, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Gabe Amo (D)  | 64.9 | 43,290 |
 | Gerry Leonard (R) | 35.1 | 23,393 | |
| Total votes: 66,683 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Stephen Earle (Independent)
- Julian J. Smith (Independent)
- Richard O'Shea (Independent)
- John Vitkevich (Independent)
- Jeffrey Lemire (Independent)
- Christopher Reynolds (Independent)
- Joseph Jean-Philippe (Independent)
- Paul Rianna Jr. (Independent)
- John Ritchie (Independent)
Democratic primary election
Special Democratic primary for U.S. House Rhode Island District 1
The following candidates ran in the special Democratic primary for U.S. House Rhode Island District 1 on September 5, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Gabe Amo | 32.4 | 12,946 |
 | J. Aaron Regunberg | 24.9 | 9,960 | |
 | Sandra Cano | 13.9 | 5,574 | |
 | Sabina Matos | 8.0 | 3,210 | |
 | Stephen Casey | 5.8 | 2,329 | |
 | Walter Berbrick | 3.6 | 1,453 | |
 | Ana Quezada | 3.5 | 1,415 | |
 | John Goncalves | 2.8 | 1,118 | |
 | Don Carlson (Unofficially withdrew) | 1.7 | 690 | |
 | Allen Waters | 1.3 | 503 | |
 | Stephanie Beauté | 1.1 | 428 | |
 | Spencer Dickinson | 0.9 | 354 | |
| Total votes: 39,980 | |||
| = 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
- Bella Noka (D)
- Nicholas Autiello II (D)
- Nathan Biah (D)
- Paul LeBon (D)
- Toni Sfameni (D)
- Kathleen Gaskell (D)
- Larry Hutchinson Jr. (D)
- Gregory Mundy (D)
- Michael Tillinghast (D)
- Marvin Abney (D)
- Mickeda Barnes (D)
Republican primary election
Special Republican primary for U.S. House Rhode Island District 1
Gerry Leonard defeated Terri Flynn in the special Republican primary for U.S. House Rhode Island District 1 on September 5, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Gerry Leonard | 75.7 | 3,076 |
 | Terri Flynn | 24.3 | 989 | |
| Total votes: 4,065 | |||
| = 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
- William LeBron Jr. (R)
- Barrett Lynton (R)
- Gary Donald (R)
- Uloma Ekpete Kama (R)
Berbrick received the following endorsements.
Campaign themes
2023
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Walter Berbrick completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Berbrick's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I am a Veteran, educator, and community volunteer in Rhode Island where I live with my wonderful wife, Laurie, and our two school aged children. I am the son of a cook and cashier and grew up washing dishes in my family’s restaurant, and was the first in his family to graduate college.
After 9/11, I balanced service as an intelligence officer in the Navy and bartending to finance and Master’s and Doctorate degrees.
For the past 15 years, I educated leaders, analyzed threats, and spearheaded real world solutions in the U.S. Naval War College, the State Department under Secretary John Kerry, the Pentagon, and American Red Cross to keep Americans safe from violent extremism, climate change, and authoritarian governments.
I led our nation's research and brought international leaders together to build peaceful paths forward with the land and ocean opening in the arctic.
At home, I volunteered to deliver COVID supplies and vaccines to our most vulnerable citizens and support families shut out of their homes in the cold during the Newport gas crisis of 2019.
I am running because I was asked by supporters on both sides of the aisle and I am tired of the divisiveness and lack of action in Congress when Rhode Islanders are hurting in every aspect of their life. I want to fight so my daughter and all our children have the same rights my wife and mother had and restoring and strengthening our civil rights, whether it be restoring Roe v. Wade or all civil rights.- Fighting RISING COSTS: Lower costs for hardworking families and small businesses ▪ Tackle inflation, increase wages, & cut red tape ▪ Protect Social Security & Medicare ▪ Make healthcare, college, & childcare more affordable ▪ Quickly build affordable homes
- Fighting RISING DIVISION: Protect our foundational freedoms from Trump extremism ▪ Re-establish the protections guaranteed by Roe v. Wade ▪ Pass common sense gun legislation (red flag laws, assault weapons ban, and universal background checks) ▪ Protect and enshrine the right to vote for all Americans
- Fighting RISING SEAS: Safeguard our planet from climate change ▪ Lower greenhouse gas emissions ▪ Create good-paying clean energy jobs ▪ Protect our air, water, and public lands
However, I will not compromise and will bring people together when it comes to the areas of our freedom and civil rights. I will not rest until Roe v. Wade is restored and expanded. I will not rest until we have national gun reform because I am tired of putting my children on the bus and worried about what they might face at school. I will not rest until the laws to protect all Americans no matter race, ethnicity, or sexual identity beyond who is sitting on the Supreme Court.
It instilled in me patience, listening and learning to the needs of individuals, and hard work. While leaving Miami, I continued to work in the restaurant industry to pay the bills and help fund my education where I met my wife.
This inspiring and captivating book about America renews our hope in America. It reminds us that there is more that unites us than divides us.
To achieve equilibrium between work and life, I remain grounded in my values and faith, spend quality time with loved family and friends, and practice self-care through proper nutrition and exercise.
Moms Demand Action
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2023 Elections
External links
Footnotes
