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Rhode Island State Senate District 3
Rhode Island State Senate District 3 is represented by Sam Zurier (D).
As of the 2020 Census, Rhode Island state senators represented an average of 28,899 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 27,770 residents.
About the chamber
Members of the Rhode Island State Senate serve two-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Rhode Island legislators assume office the first Tuesday in January.[1]
Qualifications
A candidate for the Rhode Island General Assembly must:[2]
- Be a U.S. citizen
- Be a registered voter
- Be at least 18 years of age
- Be a state resident for at least 30 days preceding the election
- Be a resident of the district the candidate is running to represent
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[3] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $19,037/year | No per diem is paid. |
Vacancies
If there is a vacancy in the Rhode Island General Assembly, a special election must be held to fill the vacant seat. The secretary of state must call for an election to be held anywhere from 70 to 90 days after the vacancy occurred. No election can be held if the vacancy happens after the first Monday in February during an election year. The person elected to fill the seat serves for the remainder of the unfilled term.[4]
See sources: Rhode Island Gen. Laws § 17-3-6
District map
Redistricting
2020 redistricting cycle
Rhode Island enacted new legislative district boundaries on February 16, 2022, when Gov. Dan McKee (D) signed redistricting legislation approved by the General Assembly. The State House of Representatives passed the new maps by a vote of 57-6 and the State Senate approved them, 29-9, on February 15, 2022. In a press release issued after Gov. McKee signed the legislation, State Representative Robert Phillips (D), co-chair of the state's legislative Reapportionment Commission, said, "It was an honor and pleasure to work with such a dedicated group of individuals on this commission. I’m particularly proud of the fact that we obtained so much input from citizens around the state, holding our meetings in several cities and towns to make it more accessible to everyone. Reapportionment can be daunting and complex, but I’m glad we took everyone’s concerns into account and came up with a fair and equitable system of reapportionment.”[5][6][7][8]
The Providence Journal's Patrick Anderson and Katherine Gregg wrote "Although some district boundaries changed a lot, the new maps did not put any incumbent General Assembly members in the same district, forcing them to run against each other. But the maps did draw some would-be challengers out of their current districts, potentially protecting incumbents from a tough reelection battle.[9] Edward Fitzpatrick of the Boston Globe wrote that "critics have said both Democratic and Republican incumbents were allowed to shape their districts during private meetings with the state’s long-time redistricting consultant."[10]
How does redistricting in Rhode Island work? In Rhode Island, both congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by the Rhode Island General Assembly. These lines are subject to veto by the governor.[11]
An 18-member advisory commission established in 2011 can recommend congressional and state legislative redistricting plans to the state legislature. The legislature may "adopt, modify, or ignore the commission's proposals." The composition of the commission is as follows:[11]
- The majority leader of the Rhode Island State Senate chooses four commissioners who are state legislators and three who are not, for a total of seven commissioners.
- The majority leader of the Rhode Island House of Representatives chooses four commissioners who are state legislators and three who are not, for a total of seven commissioners.
- The minority leader of the Rhode Island State Senate chooses two commissioners who are state legislators.
- The minority leader of the Rhode Island House of Representatives chooses two commissioners who are state legislators.
The Rhode Island Constitution requires that state legislative districts be compact.[11]
State statutes require that congressional and state legislative districts meet the following criteria:[11]
- Districts should be contiguous.
- Districts should "reflect natural, historical, geographical, and municipal and other political lines, 'as well as the right of all Rhode Islanders to fair representation and equal access to the political process.'"
- "The lines of state House, state Senate and congressional districts [should] coincide–or at least, if they do not overlap completely, they should avoid creating voting precincts with distinct ballot options where the precinct has fewer than 100 people."
Rhode Island State Senate District 3
until January 2, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Rhode Island State Senate District 3
starting January 3, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Elections
2024
See also: Rhode Island State Senate elections, 2024
General election
General election for Rhode Island State Senate District 3
Incumbent Sam Zurier won election in the general election for Rhode Island State Senate District 3 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Sam Zurier (D) | 97.9 | 9,141 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 2.1 | 198 | ||
| Total votes: 9,339 | |||
 = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 3
Incumbent Sam Zurier advanced from the Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 3 on September 10, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Sam Zurier | 100.0 | 1,762 |
| Total votes: 1,762 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2022
General election
General election for Rhode Island State Senate District 3
Incumbent Sam Zurier won election in the general election for Rhode Island State Senate District 3 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Sam Zurier (D) | 97.5 | 7,008 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 2.5 | 178 | ||
| Total votes: 7,186 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 3
Incumbent Sam Zurier defeated Robin Xiong in the Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 3 on September 13, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Sam Zurier | 73.5 | 3,355 |
| Robin Xiong | 26.5 | 1,208 | ||
| Total votes: 4,563 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2021
A special election for District 3 of the Rhode Island State Senate was called for November 2, 2021. A primary election was scheduled for October 5, 2021. Candidates had until August 27, 2021, to file declarations of candidacy, with a secondary deadline on September 7, 2021, to submit 100 signatures in order to make the ballot.[12][13]
The seat became vacant after the resignation of Gayle Goldin (D) on August 17, 2021. Goldin resigned to accept a position in President Joe Biden's (D) administration as a senior adviser for the U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau.[14]
General election
Special general election for Rhode Island State Senate District 3
Sam Zurier defeated Alex Cannon in the special general election for Rhode Island State Senate District 3 on November 2, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Sam Zurier (D) | 90.3 | 2,647 |
 | Alex Cannon (R) | 9.0 | 265 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.7 | 20 | ||
| Total votes: 2,932 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Special Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 3
Sam Zurier defeated Geena Pham, Bret Jacob, Hilary Levey Friedman, and Ray Rickman in the special Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 3 on October 5, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Sam Zurier | 31.4 | 1,304 |
| Geena Pham | 24.6 | 1,024 | ||
| Bret Jacob | 22.3 | 929 | ||
| Hilary Levey Friedman | 15.0 | 622 | ||
| Ray Rickman | 6.7 | 278 | ||
| Total votes: 4,157 | |||
| = 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
The Republican primary election was canceled. Alex Cannon advanced from the special Republican primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 3.
2020
General election
General election for Rhode Island State Senate District 3
Incumbent Gayle Goldin won election in the general election for Rhode Island State Senate District 3 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Gayle Goldin (D) | 97.1 | 10,851 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 2.9 | 328 | ||
| Total votes: 11,179 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Gayle Goldin advanced from the Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 3.
2018
General election
General election for Rhode Island State Senate District 3
Incumbent Gayle Goldin won election in the general election for Rhode Island State Senate District 3 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Gayle Goldin (D) | 97.6 | 9,426 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 2.4 | 235 | ||
| Total votes: 9,661 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 3
Incumbent Gayle Goldin advanced from the Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 3 on September 12, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Gayle Goldin | 100.0 | 5,141 |
| Total votes: 5,141 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2016
Elections for the Rhode Island State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on September 13, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was June 29, 2016.
Incumbent Gayle Goldin ran unopposed in the Rhode Island State Senate District 3 general election.[15][16]
| Rhode Island State Senate, District 3 General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic |  Gayle Goldin Incumbent (unopposed) | |
| Source: Rhode Island Board of Elections | ||
Incumbent Gayle Goldin ran unopposed in the Rhode Island State Senate District 3 Democratic primary.[17][18]
| Rhode Island State Senate, District 3 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Gayle Goldin Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2014
Elections for the Rhode Island State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on September 9, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 25, 2014. Incumbent Gayle Goldin defeated Christopher Wall in the Democratic primary. Goldin was unchallenged in the general election.[19][20][21]
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Gayle Goldin Incumbent |
68.8% | 3,775 |
| Christopher Wall | 31.2% | 1,708 |
| Total Votes | 5,483 | |
2012
Elections for the Rhode Island State Senate consisted of a primary election on September 11, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 27, 2012. Gayle Goldin (D) was unopposed in the general election and defeated Maryellen Butke in the Democratic primary.[22][23]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Gayle Goldin |
96.7% | 8,437 | |
| Other | Write-in | 3.3% | 291 | |
| Total Votes | 8,728 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Gayle Goldin |
57.3% | 2,225 |
| Maryellen Butke | 42.7% | 1,657 |
| Total Votes | 3,882 | |
Campaign contributions
From 2000 to 2024, candidates for Rhode Island State Senate District 3 raised a total of $818,378. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $29,228 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money
| Campaign contributions, Rhode Island State Senate District 3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
| 2024 | $21,897 | 1 | $21,897 |
| 2022 | $51,046 | 2 | $25,523 |
| 2021 | $246,100 | 6 | $41,017 |
| 2020 | $56,049 | 1 | $56,049 |
| 2018 | $19,322 | 1 | $19,322 |
| 2016 | $11,755 | 1 | $11,755 |
| 2014 | $85,952 | 2 | $42,976 |
| 2012 | $54,192 | 2 | $27,096 |
| 2010 | $71,589 | 3 | $23,863 |
| 2008 | $26,901 | 1 | $26,901 |
| 2006 | $52,440 | 2 | $26,220 |
| 2004 | $102,508 | 3 | $34,169 |
| 2002 | $17,827 | 2 | $8,914 |
| 2000 | $800 | 1 | $800 |
| Total | $818,378 | 28 | $29,228 |
See also
- Rhode Island General Assembly
- Rhode Island State Senate
- Rhode Island House of Representatives
- Rhode Island state legislative districts
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Rhode Island Constitution, "Article VI, Section 3," accessed February 17, 2021
- ↑ Rhode Island Secretary of State, "Are You Eligible?" accessed May 23, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ Rhode Island General Laws, "Title 17 Elections; Chapter 3 General Assembly Members; § 17-3-6. Vacancy in general assembly — Special elections," accessed February 3, 2023
- ↑ State of Rhode Island General Assembly, "Bill to reapportion House, Senate, congressional districts signed into law," accessed February 18, 2022
- ↑ State of Rhode Island General Assembly, "2022 House Journals - February 15th," accessed February 18, 2022
- ↑ State of Rhode Island General Assembly, "House Floor Votes for 2/15/2022," accessed February 18, 2022
- ↑ State of Rhode Island General Assembly, "Legislative Status Report - Senate Bill No. 2162 SUB A as amended," accessed February 18, 2022
- ↑ The Providence Journal, "Redistricting maps: General Assembly approves new Rhode Island political boundaries," February 15, 2022
- ↑ Boston Globe, "Assembly votes for final House, Senate, congressional maps," February 15, 2022
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 All About Redistricting, "Rhode Island," accessed May 7, 2015
- ↑ Rhode Island Secretary of State, "Dates Set for RI Senate District 3 Special Election," August 19, 2021
- ↑ The Public's Radio, "Six Democrats, one Republican run for vacant RI Senate seat," August 30, 2021
- ↑ 10 WJAR, "Rhode Island state senator resigns to take Biden administration post," August 17, 2021
- ↑ Rhode Island Secretary of State, "2016 Candidate Search," accessed October 5, 2016
- ↑ Rhode Island Board of Elections, "2016 general election results," accessed January 19, 2017
- ↑ Rhode Island Secretary of State, "2016 Candidate Search," accessed June 30, 2016
- ↑ Rhode Island Board of Elections, "2016 Statewide Primary," accessed October 14, 2016
- ↑ Rhode Island Secretary of State, "Candidates for Senator in General Assembly," accessed June 30, 2014
- ↑ Rhode Island Secretary of State, "2014 Statewide Primary Results: Senator in General Assembly," accessed September 26, 2014
- ↑ Rhode Island Board of Elections, "Official 2014 general election results," accessed December 4, 2014
- ↑ Rhode Island Secretary of State, "Official General Election Results," accessed October 30, 2013
- ↑ "Rhode Island Secretary of State - Official Primary Election Results," accessed October 30, 2013
