There was no easing back to work after the July 4 holiday for the Democratic candidates vying to represent Rhode Island’s Senate District 4.
Instead, the contenders spent their Monday pounding the pavement, making calls, and strategizing in a final push ahead of Tuesday’s special Democratic primary. The four-way contest is a crucial step — arguably the most important given the district’s partisan bent — in the race to fill the unexpired term of the late Senate President Dominick Ruggerio.
But, like any summertime special election, voters in the district spanning North Providence and northern Providence might not be so motivated to exercise their civic duty, especially with a heat advisory that ends just as polls close. That’s if they even realize there’s an election at all.
“There’s so many people who don’t know there’s an election,” said candidate Marcia Ranglin-Vassell, a former state representative who works for Providence Public Schools. “As an educator, that’s what frustrates me most.”
A short timeline gave the four candidates little time to get their messages out. The Rhode Island Board of Elections set the schedule for the race in early May, less than three weeks after Ruggerio died. Primary and election dates were chosen based on when schools would be available to serve as polling places.
There’s so many people who don’t know there’s an election. As an educator, that’s what frustrates me most.
Democratic candidate Lenny Cioe, a nurse who lost his bid to unseat Ruggerio in the last three Democratic primaries, said he felt it would have been better to wait until early next year to hold the election.
“Right now, the state is in a deep deficit,” Cioe, 66, said in an interview Monday. “We’re paying a large amount of money for the special election. I’m upset about the money.”
Election-related costs for the Rhode Island Department of State, including for printing of ballots, were not immediately available. There is no significant cost for the Rhode Island Board of Elections to test and prepare voting equipment and oversee election operations, including counting votes, Chris Hunter, a board spokesperson, said in an email.
The city of Providence is spending $19,000 on the special primary and general election combined, Anthony Vega, a spokesperson for Mayor Brett Smiley’s office, said in an email. The North Providence Board of Canvassers did not immediately respond to inquiries regarding estimated costs for the special election.
Both municipalities offered early voting from June 18 to 4 p.m. Monday in addition to accepting mail ballots.
Early voting turnout exceeds 6%
By late afternoon on Monday, 700 primary ballots had been submitted by mail, with another 563 people casting early ballots in-person at Providence or North Providence city halls, according to information from the Rhode Island Department of State. There are 22,214 registered voters in the district, 19,683 of whom are Democrats or unaffiliated, and therefore able to participate in the Democratic primary, Faith Chybowski, a spokesperson for the Secretary of State’s office, said in an email. Registered Republicans cannot vote in a Democratic primary under state election rules.
Candidate Manny Taveras characterized the preliminary early voting numbers — equal to 6.4% of eligible voters — as “pretty high.”
By comparison, the last special state legislative primary for the Senate District 1 seat in Providence in September 2023 drew 1,300 voters for a four-way Democratic primary, including early voting.
However, Taveras, a 40-year-old account executive for a pharmacy benefits company, also said that construction at the Dr. Joseph A. Whalen Elementary School in North Providence — one of the three North Providence polling places — may make it harder for voters to find parking and cast ballots Tuesday.
North Providence Mayor Charlies Lombardi’s office did not immediately respond to inquiries regarding the construction at the polling place.
“The response has been great,” Stefano Famiglietti, a North Providence Town Council member and lawyer, said in an interview Monday. “I’ve had great conversations with a lot of people I hadn’t met before, and made contact with others I hadn’t connected to in a while.”
Famiglietti is considered the frontrunner, evidenced by the endorsement of the Senate District 4 Democratic committee, the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, and Senate Majority Leader Frank Ciccone, and the proliferation of signs for his campaign throughout the district. Famiglietti also leads the pack in campaign fundraising, with more than $46,000 in his campaign account as of June 30.
By comparison, Cioe had $865 cash on hand, Taveras had $719, and Ranglin-Vassell had $57 in her account, according to the most recent reports filed with the Board of Elections.
Ranglin-Vassell said she has had positive responses from door-knocking, including from older women who want to see a woman win the race.
“This seat has never been represented by a woman in 40 years,” Ranglin-Vassell said.
Ruggerio first won the seat in 1984, winning every subsequent reelection until he died of cancer on April 21.
The response has been great. I’ve had great conversations with a lot of people I hadn’t met before, and made contact with others I hadn’t connected to in a while.
Ranglin-Vassell is the only candidate with state legislative experience, having served three terms representing House District 6 before opting not to seek reelection in 2022. Famiglietti, meanwhile, has served on the North Providence Town Council since 2018. Taveras is a first-time candidate for any elected office, though his brother, Angel Taveras, served as the Providence mayor from 2011 to 2015.
Whoever wins the Democratic primary will face the sole Republican candidate, Alexander Asermely, a 39-year-old lawyer, in an Aug. 5 general election. The winner of the election will serve the rest of Ruggerio’s two-year term, through 2026.
State lawmakers are paid $19,817 a year.
This story has been updated to include early voting numbers through late afternoon Monday.
This story was originally published by the Rhode Island Current.
