Rhode Island Democratic Party

{{short description|Affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Rhode Island}}

{{Infobox political party

| name = Rhode Island Democratic Party

| colorcode = #134DB1

| logo = Rhode Island Democratic Party logo.png

| headquarters = Warwick, RI

| chairperson = Elizabeth Perik

| leader1_title = Governor

| leader1_name = Dan McKee

| leader2_title = Lieutenant Governor

| leader2_name = Sabina Matos

| leader3_title = Senate President

| leader3_name = Dominick Ruggerio

| leader4_title = House Speaker

| leader4_name = Joe Shekarchi

| foundation =

| membership_year = 2021

| membership = {{decrease}}346,320{{Cite web |last=Winger |first=Richard |title=March 2021 Ballot Access News Print Edition |url=https://ballot-access.org/2021/03/28/march-2021-ballot-access-news-print-edition/ |access-date=April 1, 2021 |website=Ballot Access News|date=28 March 2021 }}

| ideology = Modern liberalism

| national = Democratic Party

| seats1_title = Seats in the U.S. Senate

| seats1 = {{Composition bar|2|2|hex=#134DB1}}

| seats2_title = Seats in the U.S. House

| seats2 = {{Composition bar|2|2|hex=#134DB1}}

| seats3_title = Statewide Executive Offices

| seats3 = {{Composition bar|5|5|hex=#134DB1}}

| seats5_title = State Senate

| seats5 = {{Composition bar|33|38|hex=#134DB1}}

| seats6_title = State House

| seats6 = {{Composition bar|65|75|hex=#134DB1}}

| colors = {{Color box|#134DB1|border=darkgray}} Blue

| website = [http://www.ridemocrats.org www.ridemocrats.org]

| country = Rhode Island

}}

The Rhode Island Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Elizabeth Perik is the chair of the party. The party has dominated politics in Rhode Island for the past five decades.

Democratic Party dominance in Rhode Island

For nearly five decades, Rhode Island has been one of the United States' most solidly Democratic states. Since 1928, it has voted for the Republican presidential candidate only four times (Dwight Eisenhower in 1952 and 1956, Richard Nixon in 1972 and Ronald Reagan in 1984) and has elected only two Republicans (former Governor John H. Chafee and his son, Lincoln Chafee, though the younger Chafee became a Democrat during his later governorship) to the U.S. Senate since 1934. Rhode Island sent no Republicans to the U.S. House of Representatives from 1940 until 1980, when one Republican and one Democrat were elected. In 1980, Rhode Island was one of only six states to be won by incumbent president Jimmy Carter. However, Republican Edward DiPrete was elected governor in 1984 and Ronald Reagan narrowly carried the state in the 1984 presidential election. In the 2000 presidential election, Democrat Al Gore won 61% of the popular vote in the state.{{Cite web|title=Political parties in Rhode Island|url=https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Rhode_Island|access-date=2021-01-23|website=Ballotpedia|language=en|archive-date=2020-11-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111195546/https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Rhode_Island|url-status=live}}

An analysis of Gallup polling data shows the Democratic advantage over the Republican Party in Rhode Island voters plunged between 2008 and 2011.{{cite web|url=http://blogs.wpri.com/2011/08/16/gallup-democrats-dominance-drops-by-half-in-rhode-island/|title=Gallup: Democrats' dominance drops by half in Rhode Island|work=WPRI 12 Eyewitness News|access-date=2011-11-07|archive-date=2011-09-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110916204343/http://blogs.wpri.com/2011/08/16/gallup-democrats-dominance-drops-by-half-in-rhode-island/|url-status=live}} The Democratic advantage over the Republican Party in Rhode Island slid from 37 percentage points in 2008 to 16, according to Gallup. Rhode Island went from the most Democratic state in the country in 2008 to the 7th most Democratic in 2011.{{cite web|url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/226556/state-partisanship-shifts-toward-democratic-party-2017.aspx|title=State Partisanship Shifts Toward Democratic Party in 2017|author=Gallup, Inc.|date=2018|work=gallup.com|access-date=2018-11-05|archive-date=2018-11-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181105202757/https://news.gallup.com/poll/226556/state-partisanship-shifts-toward-democratic-party-2017.aspx|url-status=live}}

Elected officials

= U.S. Senate<ref>{{Cite web|title=U.S. Senate: Senators of the 117th Congress|url=https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm|access-date=2021-01-23|website=www.senate.gov|archive-date=2021-01-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123003355/https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm|url-status=live}}</ref> =

Democrats have controlled both of Rhode Island's seats in the U.S. Senate since 2006:

File:Sheldon Whitehouse, official portrait, 116th congress (cropped).jpg|Junior U.S. Senator {{Sortname|last=Whitehouse|first=Sheldon}}

File:Senator Jack Reed official photo (cropped).jpg|Senior U.S. Senator {{Sortname|last=Reed|first=Jack|dab=Rhode Island politician}}

= U.S. House of Representatives<ref>{{Cite web|title=Representatives {{!}} house.gov|url=https://www.house.gov/representatives|access-date=2021-01-23|website=www.house.gov|archive-date=2019-06-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190628021921/https://www.house.gov/representatives|url-status=live}}</ref> =

Out of the 2 seats Rhode Island is apportioned in the U.S. House of Representatives, both are held by Democrats.

class="wikitable sortable"

!District

!Member

!Photo

1st

|{{Sortname|first=Gabe|last=Amo}}

|File:Gabe Amo 118th Cong (cropped).jpg

2nd

|{{Sortname|first=Seth|last=Magaziner}}

|File:Seth Magaziner (cropped).jpg

=Statewide officials<ref>{{Cite web|last=State of Rhode Island|date=|title=Rhode Island Elected Officials|url=https://www.ri.gov/officials/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108042818/https://www.ri.gov/officials/|archive-date=November 8, 2020|access-date=January 23, 2021|website=RI.gov}}</ref>=

Democrats control all five of the elected statewide offices:

=State Legislature<ref>{{Cite web|title=State of Rhode Island General Assembly|url=http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/Pages/Default.aspx|access-date=2021-01-23|website=State of Rhode Island General Assembly|language=en-us|archive-date=2021-01-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114060948/http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/Pages/Default.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>=

President of the Senate: Dominick J. Ruggerio
Senate President Pro Tempore: Hanna Gallo
Senate Majority Leader: Michael McCaffrey
Senate Majority Whip: Maryellen Goodwin
Senate Deputy Majority Whip: Ana Quezada
Speaker of the House: Joe Shekarchi
House Speaker Pro Tempore: Brian Patrick Kennedy
House Majority Leader: Christopher Blazejewski
House Majority Whip: Katherine Kazarian

Party leadership and staff

The leadership of the Rhode Island Democratic Party, as of 2024, is as follows:

=State committee officers=

Chairman: Elizabeth Perik
1st Vice Chairman: James Diossa

=National Committee Persons=

National Committeeman: Joseph R. Paolino Jr.
National Committeewomen: Lisa Andoscia

=Staff=

Data Director: Sam Bader
Strategic Planning Consultant: Anthony Cherry
Compliance Consultant: Susann Della Rosa

Previous election results

=[[2020 United States elections|2020 general election]]<ref>{{Cite web|last=Rhode Island Board of Elections|date=November 30, 2020|title=2020 General Election Results|url=https://www.ri.gov/election/results/2020/general_election/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115175353/https://www.ri.gov/election/results/2020/general_election/|archive-date=January 15, 2021|access-date=January 23, 2020|website=State of Rhode Island}}</ref>=

class="wikitable"

|+For President

!Candidate

!Party

!Vote %

!Votes

Joseph R. Biden

|Democratic

|59.4

|307,486

Donald J. Trump

|Republican

|38.6

|199,922

class="wikitable"

|+For U.S. Senator

!Candidate

!Party

!Vote %

John F. Reed

|Democratic

|66.2

Allen R. Waters

|Republican

|33.4

class="wikitable"

|+For U.S. Representative — District 1

!Candidate

!Party

!Vote %

David N. Cicilline

|Democratic

|70.8

Frederick Wysocki

|Independent

|15.8

Jeffrey E. Lemire

|Independent

|12.6

class="wikitable"

|+For U.S. Representative — District 2

!Candidate

!Party

!Vote %

James R. Langevin

|Democratic

|58.2

Robert B. Lancia

|Republican

|41.5

= 2018 general election<ref>{{Cite web|last=Rhode Island Board of Elections|date=November 21, 2018|title=2018 General Election Results|url=https://www.ri.gov/election/results/2020/general_election/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115175353/https://www.ri.gov/election/results/2020/general_election/|archive-date=January 15, 2021|access-date=January 23, 2021|website=State of Rhode Island}}</ref> =

class="wikitable"

|+For U.S. Senator

!Candidate

!Party

!Vote %

Sheldon Whitehouse

|Democratic

|61.4

Robert G. Flanders Jr.

|Republican

|38.3

class="wikitable"

|+For U.S. Representative — District 1

!Candidate

!Party

!Vote %

David N. Cicilline

|Democratic

|66.7

Patrick J. Donovan

|Republican

|33.1

class="wikitable"

|+For U.S. Representative — District 2

!Candidate

!Party

!Vote %

James R. Langevin

|Democratic

|63.5

Salvatore G. Caiozzo

|Republican

|36.3

= 2016 general election<ref>{{Cite web|last=Rhode Island Board of Elections|date=February 27, 2017|title=2016 General Election Results|url=https://www.ri.gov/election/results/2016/general_election/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105011925/https://www.ri.gov/election/results/2016/general_election/|archive-date=January 5, 2021|access-date=January 23, 2021|website=State of Rhode Island}}</ref> =

class="wikitable"

|+For President

!Candidate

!Party

!Vote %

!Votes

Hillary Clinton

|Democratic

|54.4

|252,525

Donald J. Trump

|Republican

|38.9

|180,453

class="wikitable"

|+For U.S. Representative — District 1

!Candidate

!Party

!Vote %

David N. Cicilline

|Democratic

|64.5

Russell Taub

|Republican

|35.1

class="wikitable"

|+For U.S. Representative — District 2

!Candidate

!Party

!Vote %

James R. Langevin

|Democratic

|58.1

Rhue Reis

|Republican

|30.7

= 2014 general election<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Rhode Island Board of Elections|date=December 3, 2014|title=2014 General Election Results|url=https://www.ri.gov/election/results/2014/general_election/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127165134/https://www.ri.gov/election/results/2014/general_election/|archive-date=November 27, 2020|access-date=January 23, 2021|website=State of Rhode Island}}</ref> =

class="wikitable"

|+For U.S. Senator

!Candidate

!Party

!Vote %

John F. Reed

|Democratic

|70.6

Mark S. Zaccaria

|Republican

|29.2

class="wikitable"

|+For U.S. Representative — District 1

!Candidate

!Party

!Vote %

David N. Cicilline

|Democratic

|59.5

Cormick B. Lynch

|Republican

|40.2

class="wikitable"

|+For U.S. Representative — District 2

!Candidate

!Party

!Vote %

James R. Langevin

|Democratic

|62.2

Rhue R. Reis

|Republican

|37.6

= 2008 general election<ref>{{Cite web|last=Rhode Island Board of Elections|date=November 2008|title=2008 General Election Results|url=https://elections.ri.gov/elections/results/2008/general_election/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020104826/https://elections.ri.gov/elections/results/2008/general_election/|archive-date=2020-10-20|access-date=2021-01-23|website=State of Rhode Island}}</ref> =

class="wikitable"

|+For President

!Candidate

!Party

!Vote %

Barack Obama

|Democratic

|63.1

John McCain

|Republican

|35.2

class="wikitable"

|+For U.S. Senator

!Candidate

!Party

!Vote %

John F. Reed

|Democratic

|73.4

Robert G. Tingle

|Republican

|26.6

class="wikitable"

|+For U.S. Representative — District 1

!Candidate

!Party

!Vote %

Patrick J. Kennedy

|Democratic

|68.6

Jonathon P. Scott

|Republican

|24.3

class="wikitable"

|+For U.S. Representative — District 2

!Candidate

!Party

!Vote %

James R. Langevin

|Democratic

|70.1

Mark S. Zaccaria

|Republican

|29.9

= 2004 general election<ref>{{Cite web|last=Rhode Island Board of Elections|date=November 2004|title=2004 General Election Results|url=https://elections.ri.gov/elections/results/2004/generalelection/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021092916/https://elections.ri.gov/elections/results/2004/generalelection/|archive-date=2020-10-21|access-date=2021-01-23|website=State of Rhode Island}}</ref> =

class="wikitable"

|+For President

!Candidate

!Party

!Vote %

John F. Kerry

|Democratic

|59.4

George W. Bush

|Republican

|38.6

class="wikitable"

|+For U.S. Representative — District 1

!Candidate

!Party

!Vote %

Patrick J. Kennedy

|Democratic

|64.1

David W. Rogers

|Republican

|35.8

class="wikitable"

|+For U.S. Representative — District 2

!Candidate

!Party

!Vote %

James R. Langevin

|Democratic

|74.5

Arthur Chuck Barton III

|Republican

|20.8

References

External links

[http://www.ridemocrats.org/ Rhode Island Democratic Party]

Category:Democratic Party (United States) by state

Democratic Party